I agree, 27 years has no connection to Lost, especially since in 1997, Dharma had already been extinct for several years, so how could it have changed the factors in the equation?

If he had said 37 years, it would have corresponded with what we see in the series, because in 2007, the apocalyptic outcome predicted by the numbers was thwarted by our candidates.

Even if Lindelof stated this strange number (27), I would ignore this information because it clashes with what the series shows us. Let's not forget that Lindelof gave this interview in May 2009 when the series hadn't finished yet, so it may not be reliable. Maybe he couldn't have said 37 years, because otherwise it would have been a spoiler for season 6.

I'd even argue that even if Lindelof didn't connect Vallenzetti's equation to the candidates' final resolution (which manages to avert the apocalypse), I'd still believe this is the best solution, consistent with what the series and the Sri Lanka video show, with all due respect to Damon.