I guess they wanted to say "starting a startup" - not starting a company. To have a successful company (not a VC startup) you really just need to code a little

I guess they wanted to say "starting a startup" - not starting a company. To have a successful company (not a VC startup) you really just need to code a little and know to market/sell (or have co-founder who can do that). And you will be fine - not rich but fine. Of course, the above is only true if you live in Bay Area... If you live in Bay Area, then you will need at least $250K/year to live "fine". Which is about $150K/year in Austin, TX.