The difference here is that Uber had a lot of happy customers (taxi riders with better UX and a cheaper ride) and not-terribly-unhappy employees (erm, independent contractors). In the Uber case, regulators had to stare the absurdity of their regulation in the face.
If everything goes well for Even's customers, it's unlikely regulators will bother stepping in. But if everything doesn't go well, then Even is going to have a lot of pissed off customers and very few people in its corner. In a hypothetical Even case, regulators would get to cry "See! Look at all these examples of why we really need regulation!"
Furthermore, regulation arbitrage doesn't always work out, even when your customers love you (e.g., Aereo).
edit: also, unlike taxis, I assume avidly pro-consumer regulators already would love to squash payday loan companies but don't have the power to do so. Lumping yourself in as a "slightly better payday loan company" is like painting a target on your back. Seems like Even would want to distance themselves from that association as much as possible...
If everything goes well for Even's customers, it's unlikely regulators will bother stepping in. But if everything doesn't go well, then Even is going to have a lot of pissed off customers and very few people in its corner. In a hypothetical Even case, regulators would get to cry "See! Look at all these examples of why we really need regulation!"
Furthermore, regulation arbitrage doesn't always work out, even when your customers love you (e.g., Aereo).
edit: also, unlike taxis, I assume avidly pro-consumer regulators already would love to squash payday loan companies but don't have the power to do so. Lumping yourself in as a "slightly better payday loan company" is like painting a target on your back. Seems like Even would want to distance themselves from that association as much as possible...