So, yes, you can't just strip types, but it's close.
That guarantees that the types do not determine the output (e.g. no const enums), not that you can "strip" types to get the same output.
Decorators would be another example. (Though they have always been marked experimental.)
And of course JSX, but that's not a TypeScript invention.
So, yes, you can't just strip types, but it's close.