In many areas the Airbnbs were not illegal, and sometimes "regulatory capture" should be fought as unjust.
Of course, in other areas, you're totally right that sometimes the local regulations should win, the company fined, etc. All depends on what the local community wants, imo.
The problem is that Airbnb was the one deciding what laws to ignore. Odds are the group of laws they considered regulatory capture were much bigger than the group of laws that were considered regulatory capture by consumer protections groups. There is not a clear delineation between what laws truly protect people and what laws only give that appearance. The proper way to fight regulatory capture is through the political system.
The "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission" mindset can be dangerous when it is applied to issues of public safety.