Share files someone without an Apple ID
I created a folder in my iCloud drive and then created a share link to that folder selecting the option "Anyone with the link" has access to the link. and "Can make changes" (the other option was "Only People you invite" which requires you to select a contact, I am guessing with an AppleID) I then sent that link to someone but they could not access the folder and it wanted them to log into or create an AppleID. This person does not have an AppleID so they could not access the link. I followed the instructions here Share files and folders in iCloud Drive on iCloud.com - Apple Support and it does not say anything about requiring an AppleID to access shared folder links.
So either the share via link feature is broken or the instructions are incomplete.
You can share a folder via Google Drive this way and it works without requiring the recepiant of the link to have a Google account.