For me the two meanings are:

*having someone by your side makes a task easier.

*they get a relative boost because I'm so terrible.

Anyone see additional meanings?

(edited for formatting and to add question)

I found it funnier off the back of reading the whole article and seeing his picture - he just came across as having a dry sense of humor. Being told to "keep on trying" is very frustrating, like, what do you think I've been doing all this time?! Also this: "Morimoto got a job with a publisher after finishing a graduate degree, but found it hard to fit in and left. His boss said sarcastically, "It doesn't matter if you're here or not." I get the impression he sees the comedy in being told that.