After graduating from college, Ryan Stone spent almost five years as an intelligence officer in the Marine Corps, including a stint in Afghanistan, an experience that helped shape “how I can solve problems and view the world,” he said on this week’s Drinks With The Deal.

In his current role at Cadence Design Systems Inc. (CDNS), as in the Marines, “You’re forced to make decisions based on incomplete knowledge, and you’re relying on outside experts to guide you, but you’re the decision maker,” said Stone, group director, corporate development for new ventures and strategy at Cadence, a San Jose, Calif.-based maker of software for semiconductor companies.

After his time in the military, Stone earned degrees at Columbia Law School and Harvard University’s Kennedy School. He then spent a year at Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and four years as a law firm associate before joining Cadence, where he worked in the legal department before moving to the business side.

“Lawyers think about what you’re getting with the target and the risks associated with the target, while I’m thinking about how we derive value from the acquisition,” Stone said. “You get that by providing something to the target that they don’t have.”

Check out the podcast with Ryan Stone below:

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