why yc seems to be the natural step for people in their 20s now
it is, in their minds, the natural next step to prove they are still ahead of the curve against their peers
in elementary school you were ahead if you were invited into the gifted program
in middle school you were ahead if you were in advanced math classes
in high school you were ahead if you got better grades, higher SAT/ACT scores, took more APs, got accepted into prestigious colleges
in college you were ahead if you got into selective orgs at school and got internships
and of course there are measures to show you are ahead of your peers after all of this such as money, your career path, an attractive/successful partner etc. I think yc kinda bundles up a bunch of these measures and serves it to young people. Through yc you can make a ton of money, meet people, and have what some people may say an unconventional career.
However, when a path becomes optimized it doesn't stay novel and i think particularly the prestige of yc will slowly diminish