tl;dr: The founder of the Recurse Center marks its 15th anniversary, recounting how they pivoted from a failed YC "OkCupid for jobs" idea into a self-directed programming retreat. A 2012 HN launch post drove much of their early growth and remains their #2 applicant source after word of mouth. While not the billion-dollar business YC hoped for, it has served over 3,000 programmers and become the founder's life's work.