Now you can buy a USB stick that destroys anything in its path

They are right on one account - Bigger companies need to have their hardware protected from such electrical surges. Seen a lot of companies' data be ruined by a random thunder strike and such.

Had they been better protected, they might not have had to work countless hours to get such data back.

Disclaimer: I'm not a hacker but I've seen plenty of portrayals of hackers microwaving ram or using giant magnets to wipe hard disks.