The basic premise of the article seems sound, that money corrupted an arrangement that might otherwise be innocent. Uber / Lyft were upgrades to Craiglist ads

The basic premise of the article seems sound, that money corrupted an arrangement that might otherwise be innocent. Uber / Lyft were upgrades to Craiglist ads for rides / carpools - more convenient for riders, and drivers make a few bucks taking someone somewhere they were going anyway. AirBnB was a way for travelers to access a more "charming" experience, maybe a little more conveniently than booking a hotel/BnB or scanning CL ads for rooms for rent. Where they went wrong was professionalization, i.e. people driving full-time or renting for the income. That's when it became obvious that Uber/Lyft was actually a taxi company and AirBnB a rental broker. In fairness, if in certain cities (NYC) taxis weren't intentionally managed to scarcity, Uber/Lyft probably would have had more difficulty gaining traction. Nor would I begrudge a homeowner making a little money boarding guests. But of course the economic opportunity proved too much for too many to resist, which is why we have the problems mentioned in the article.