Hi caapital,
Even when they separate the funding partners from the evaluation company, they are the same "company" and their business is collecting the fees.
Proof of that is once you read the contract to get funded, the rules are very easy to break by mistake and even if they could enforce them automatically they won't.
For example, being flat for news or not to scale over your size limit, but they prefer to get the notification from their system and terminate your account. I go even further, even if your account is pnl positive your funded account will be terminated breaking some of the more vanilla rules, which is very interesting "concept" for a company in theory looking for consistent profitable traders.
The purpose of the rules in the contract is not to eliminate risk but at some point the trader to fail one of the rules which are unrelated to your pnl.
Initially I was excited that I was going to learn some risk rules that would make me a better trader but very disappointed at the end (After getting funded and terminated twice for rules not related to the pnl) that it doesn't matter, there is no room for breaking other rules.
I cannot speak on my experience in Topstep because I am not funded with them but I will give it a try. I asked Topstep's support what is their process if you break a rule regarding for example not being flat on a news release and their answer is that the risk manager works with you to see the case of your account, so I am guessing it is a more discretionary process. If somebody has experience of being kicked out in topstep funded account maybe they can comment if that's the case or it is another bucket shop. I am most interested to know for those rules that can be easily broken by accident what happens.
I am sure funded traders are getting paid and all of that is legit because they have to or there won't be any case to attract more noobs to the evaluation process. But don't be mistaken some of the rules and how they are enforced are meant to terminate your account asap and not to make you a better trader. So watch out and know that it is not a long term funding business of your trading, if you are consistent drop money and when is terminated move on and be happy you won.