Or maybe the problem is there's just no way to make a TaskRabbit-style business model work; you end up having to screw the workers (with moves like those described in the article), the users (with rates that are higher than people are willing to pay), or the investors (by burning through cash without a path to profitability).

It sounds like TaskRabbit, faced with that predicament, decided to screw the workers, which is disappointing but unsurprising.