If I were an OC holder, I'd be barking mad at the regulators for allowing this fuzzy activity. Winlgy devalues the effort of those pilots who earn a CPL, and those companies who comply.
Perhaps it is this kind of shift which society ultimately wants, that's society's to decide.
I can understand this argument although, as a single data point, I would point out that when I offered rides before the FAA published their edict, none of the people I shared flights with could remotely be described as a potential client for a private charter or air taxi. At worst they might have deprived Michael O'Leary of 20 quid (which is less than their share of the cost of the flights we took) but, in at least two cases, they actually paid an airline for a return flight which they otherwise wouldn't have needed.