If anyone wondered whether it was a test by YC, then I guess one question would be which test:
* People who hand over their phones are perceived by YC as team players, or willing to engage fully with others, or savvy about some new tech-fashionable mindfulness practice (that the person is alarmed they haven't yet heard of).
* People who hand over their phones are perceived by YC as being followers rather than leaders, or having bad InfoSec sense, or not being connected and accessible at all times.
I cannot imagine even remotely engaging in a culture where either of those are possibilities, let alone speculating about which is likely. But then again, I'm not a fan of incestual SV culture.
* People who hand over their phones are perceived by YC as team players, or willing to engage fully with others, or savvy about some new tech-fashionable mindfulness practice (that the person is alarmed they haven't yet heard of).
* People who hand over their phones are perceived by YC as being followers rather than leaders, or having bad InfoSec sense, or not being connected and accessible at all times.