Couldn't you have maybe demonstrated why you were valuable while getting paid minimum wage? The situation you are describing encourages companies not to take r

Couldn't you have maybe demonstrated why you were valuable while getting paid minimum wage? The situation you are describing encourages companies not to take risks EVER while forcing their employees to take a risk. The fact that you benefitted from this is irrelevant. Perhaps try looking outside of just your own specific situation and at the many other situations that might come from a world where unpaid internships are legal, or the norm.