This a brilliant phrase. You might as well put that into an Emacs paste macro now. It won't be the last time you will need it. And the OP is classic HN folly where programmer thinks laws and courts can be hacked with "this one weird trick".
Uber is no longer subsidized (or even cheap) in most places, it's just an app for summoning taxis and overpriced snacks. AirBnB is underregulated housing for nomads at this point.
Your examples sorta prove the point - they didn't succeed in what they aimed at doing, so they pivoted until the law permitted it.
