[shuntress]

Uber and Airbnb did not "revolutionize" taxis or hotels. They just used modern technology to skirt around dated labor/safety and zoning laws.

Edit: to be more clear - you have always been able to ask strangers for rides or to sleep at their place. It's just obviously impractical without a marketplace linking you cheaply and easily to willing hosts.

[musicale]

I concur that regulatory escape was key to both companies' success. (I think the term "regulatory entrepreneurship" was coined as well.)

However Uber did improve upon traditional taxi pricing by adopting the airport shuttle model of paying for the destination – rather than the perverse incentives and unpredictability of pay-per-mile or pay-per-minute. They also had better app-based dispatch and ride tracking.