Conflicting positions aren’t always in conflict. Consider Paul Graham and Mike Taber.

Have you ever noticed how few successful startups were founded by just one person? Even companies you think of as having one founder, like Oracle, usually turn out to have more.

for Paul to say “Starting a startup is too hard for one person.” is incorrect and misleading. I’m doing it now. … Having been in the situation before, I’d prefer to have no partner and have to do all of the work than have a partner who isn’t pulling his weight.

Personally, I just wonder if they aren’t using different definitions of startup. I suspect that Paul Graham thinks of startups as companies that either create new markets or revolutionalize existing markets. As do I. And I suspect that Mike Taber takes a more literal definition of the startup as a new company.

You may disagree, but I find it difficult to see a company as a startup when it simply replicates an existing business. Other than the product, what is the difference between starting a computer game company and starting a restaurant? And why would you consider only one a startup.