I think the point of the article was the opposite. The first two times they applied, they were focused on YC. The third time (the time they got in), he says: "

I think the point of the article was the opposite. The first two times they applied, they were focused on YC. The third time (the time they got in), he says: "Nothing else mattered, including YC. Application time came around and we thought about not applying. It seems a bit silly to say now (to us), but it is true." They'd become focused on the business and product, and that was the key.