Once they were established in a different country, yeah. But would they have been able to start and secure their business in those countries? That’s less certain, imo. Part of the real value prop of Uber was that taxis were expensive and clunky, and they made it faster and cheaper.

They made them cheaper by ignoring minimum wage laws the world over. No wonder taxi companies couldn't compete.

People keep saying this but everywhere I go I still see city taxis operating with radio/telephone systems that plus the usual black car airport/limo services. They still have their piece of the market where they still provide value. The death of the incumbents seems to be a bit oversold but regardless competition is not the problem here.