Which begs the question: is this an advertisement?
From https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html
> Another kind of job ad is reserved for YC-funded startups. These appear on the front page, but are not stories: they have no vote arrows, points, or comments. They begin part-way down, then fall steadily, and only one should be on the front page at a time.
It's also described plainly in the FAQ https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html
No conspiracy here.