There appear to be two different senses of the word "iteration" in play here. There's the sense common on HN, where it refers to getting the idea out in front

There appear to be two different senses of the word "iteration" in play here. There's the sense common on HN, where it refers to getting the idea out in front of real customers, and then making changes to it in an attempt to improve it. HN folks generally think this kind of iteration should be done as rapidly as possible. The article uses "iteration" in a different sense, to mean repeated cycles of discussion and rethinking the idea, before getting it in front of real customers. The first kind of iteration can be measured by the number of successive versions of the software, website, product, whatever get shown to real users. The second kind (as the article describes) can be measured by the number of meetings held to discuss and refine the idea.