Uber tried to compensate this independent contractor when they had no legal reason to do so. The contractors assume all legal risk when they work as an independent contractor, which is why many contractors in other industries often form an LLC so their assets are shielded from liability.

On top of this, NDAs are common in arbitration. They were under no legal requirement to sign.

Plus, compensating drivers a ton for carjacking creates perverse incentives. It would be trivial for a driver's buddy to "carjack" them on camera and seek a payout from it.