[cj]

> This is 100% what survivor bias sounds like.

Absolutely. Except, YC is designed to maximize your odds of "surviving"

It really is like college/university. You can skip class every day and no one cares. You can also attend every class, leverage every resource, and work really hard to be successful.

YC absolutely does not guarantee success (speaking from experience. my YC company failed). It absolutely increases your chances of success, particularly if (or perhaps only if) you don't have a strong professional network and/or network of advisors.