Do you honestly think if you hadn't haggled for 3 weeks that:
a) They wouldn't have turned around for advice from YC
b) YC deciding to come over the top once hearing the news
I agree with your assessment that YC was probably trying to keep dumb money out of the cap table but I also hypothesize they originally underestimated the team and once they saw they were actually able to put a TS together that was proof enough their original calculus was wrong and they circled back around. I don't think you were getting this deal either way.
a) They wouldn't have turned around for advice from YC
b) YC deciding to come over the top once hearing the news
I agree with your assessment that YC was probably trying to keep dumb money out of the cap table but I also hypothesize they originally underestimated the team and once they saw they were actually able to put a TS together that was proof enough their original calculus was wrong and they circled back around. I don't think you were getting this deal either way.