Technological diversification, core-technology competence, and firm growth

•This paper investigates the relationship between technological diversification and firm growth and the moderating role of core-technology competence in the relationship.•Technological diversification has an inverted U-shaped relationship with firm growth.•Core-technology competence moderates the relationship, by attenuating the harmful effect of excessive technological diversification.•High core-technology competence attenuates the harmful effect for unrelated (or broad) technological diversification greater than for related (or focused) technological diversification.