1. Maybe it's not the perfect way to startup something but at least he's doing something (and not just reading anymore). And who knows, maybe the IRC chat doesn't bring a team but gives him tons of new inspirations and ideas for new ventures.
Read the original post again. An MVP Rails app can be built in fourteen days by an experienced dev/designer duo, no problem.
But startups aren't just web companies. The idea could be a physical product that requires prototyping, for example, and that's not getting done in two weeks of part-time work.
1. Maybe it's not the perfect way to startup something but at least he's doing something (and not just reading anymore). And who knows, maybe the IRC chat doesn't bring a team but gives him tons of new inspirations and ideas for new ventures.