When apps like Uber and Lyft first debuted, they took the tech world and roads by storm – people liked using them as an alternative to driving or taking cabs.

But then cabbies, themselves, stepped in and said, hey wait a minute! Then so did local officials and regulators.

How can techies develop solutions to real world problems without city halls shutting them down?

Christopher Koopman argues that lawmakers should step back and let them play. He's a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.