Unfairly, IMHO. It certainly helped, but they did so much, and better, than the other apps and they made legit, value-improving changes to the ride-hailing process: actually acting on feedback, dynamically setting prices, coordinating a movement away from tipping, applying modern IT.

Remember, their core product was not violating regulations: it was filling empty spots for legit black limo drivers, and was more expensive than taxis but still competitive because of the quality of service.