[nl]

Second most doesn't mean anything when you're talking about three arrangements, realistically.

Exactly. You have expressed the argument perfectly.

There seems to be little link between the number of founders and success.

The rest of your post seems to have a simple counter argument: hire people.

[codesushi42]

Depends on the scale of success. A successful lifestyle business can be achieved by a solo founder. A unicorn or company with large exit is less likely.

An employee is never going to be as personally invested as a cofounder. But the upside is you can terminate them if your working relationship goes awry.