I am sure 99% of people would sign up for the latter immediately if they were promised a good sized payout. Torture is a gross overexaggeration.
It really isn't an exaggeration and can lead to depression.
It doesn't have be bad though, but if you are in a good place and enjoying the work and are making a profit anyway, then there's perhaps not that much to gain from selling.
The upsides of doing a startup are many, being bought and seeing your baby/hobby being ruined outside of your control is torture.