It seems to me like contractor rules were invented for a very different kind of person, i.e. a professional who voluntarily gives up certain protections in exch

It seems to me like contractor rules were invented for a very different kind of person, i.e. a professional who voluntarily gives up certain protections in exchange for higher pay. As an engineer I can choose whether I want to enter an employeer-employee relationship or a business-to-business relationship. In the second, I take on a greater share of the risk and I am accordingly paid more. The freedom to choose either option is valuable to me. The rule was not intended as a way for large corporations to hire workers for less than minimum wage, although so far we've had a hard time making laws that cleanly differentiate the two cases.