I don't know. I think a reasonable person could construe the YC statement [1] as manufactured scarcity too, even if YC makes the statement for sound reasons. It could be construed as a pre-exploding offer (or threat).
Not that I agree with that interpretation; I think YC's viewpoint makes a lot of sense -- especially if it is a proven negative indicator of success.
[1] "If you apply to other accelerators, then we'll be more critical of you."
I think it's clear that's not the intention here. The message is basically "the clock starts ticking with funding, so expect to meet a higher bar".
This is similar to the notion that a startup can "sell the dream" up until the point where they have revenue, after which they're no longer selling dreams, they're selling the trend.
Not that I agree with that interpretation; I think YC's viewpoint makes a lot of sense -- especially if it is a proven negative indicator of success.
[1] "If you apply to other accelerators, then we'll be more critical of you."