Shorting is very risky, since the downside risk is unlimited if you guess wrong. (Imagine shorting Microsoft based on the low quality of their code, sometime around MS-DOS 1.0.) It's better to buy businesses that will go up when the market goes down, or ones that are recession-proof in general, while avoiding cyclically sensitive businesses and, especially, any sectors that are about to have bubbles burst in them.
If the near future is the unicorn version of the dot-com bubble, its aftermath would be a good time for tech stocks you're interested in.
Options vs. shorting are just two different ways to risk all your capital on a bet... the "unlimited" downside of a short position has a practical limit--it's when your broker forces your account to cover with buys (the short squeeze) and you zero out.
No, I described the practical downside exposure of a short (or, the trader could put in a stop). It is no more "unlimited" than is the downside of buying a bunch of ultimately worthless options.
If the near future is the unicorn version of the dot-com bubble, its aftermath would be a good time for tech stocks you're interested in.