Access to LinkedIn’s trove of data about companies and professionals is a primary driver of Microsoft’s $ 26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, says our guest on this week’s GeekWire radio show and podcast.

“This is a sign of the times. Ten years ago, people bought companies for their R&D, for their engineering, for their hardware. Five years ago, it was for the users, for the content. Today it’s for the data. Data is king,” says Florin Rotar, senior vice president at Avanade, the technology consulting firm that focuses on the Microsoft ecosystem.

Listen for an analysis of the LinkedIn acquisition with Rotar starting in the second segment of this week’s show, at 9:20 in the audio player below. We discuss how the deal stacks up to the largest technology acquisitions of all time, how LinkedIn could be integrated into Microsoft products, and whether Microsoft can buck its recent trend of failed acquisitions.

Also read Rotar’s blog post on the acquisition: Microsoft + LinkedIn: With Great Innovation Comes Great Responsibility.

In the opening news segment, we discuss why secretive augmented reality company Magic Leap is setting up an office in Seattle, and talk about takeaways from Apple’s WWDC. Also listen for the answer and winner from our latest GeekWire Trivia Challenge, which offered a chance to win tickets to the Sept. 14 performance of “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses — Master Quest,” performed live by the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall.

Listen below or download the MP3 here.

GeekWire

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