It's more of a loaded term than meant literally. "The YC of Pittsburgh" for instance wouldn't attract the best talent worldwide, but SF and SV is known globall

It's more of a loaded term than meant literally. "The YC of Pittsburgh" for instance wouldn't attract the best talent worldwide, but SF and SV is known globally as the center of tech. If someone replicated YC in the global center of tech, they'd have a big advantage over YC.