a. the competitor would have to based outside middle east. hard to imagine european companies entering that market. (won't have the funding) chinese wouldn't really try that as well because the market is too different. it'll have to be US based; so either Uber or Lyft.
b. it's also not specifically about Uber per-se; the author is against the argument that it would be inevitable for a company with a business model that is based on some sort of illegality would have a toxic culture so companies re-thinking regulations should be banned altogether. because this kind of thinking hurts the public good.