buying a few shares with limited risk is much different from buying a company with 100% risk
I don't know that I would consider $8 million worth of shares a "few" but if that $8 million had been invested in a lower risk company 8 years ago it would have more than doubled; invested in HRCT 90% of the $8 million would be gone.
But the question was, which would be the best investment? Even without hindsight, it seems like a no brainer.
The difference between $8 million and $800 is only the amount, not the reasonableness of the investment.