It is relevant because the excuse made for disabling bootloader unlocking is that unlocking the bootloader can defeat a carrier lock. They are interrelated.

I thought so too, but in order to show that the device was sold as unlocked, the article has a footnote (#7) about carrier unlocking.

> Keep in mind that I bought this phone full price6 from store.google.com, where it was advertised right in the FAQ as an “unlocked smartphone”7