The FDE Coach blog · new articles every day
Practical guides for engineers who ship AI.
Step-by-step builds with free AI tools, what just shipped in AI and why it matters, and Forward Deployed Engineer playbooks on interviews, pay and client work.
FDE playbooks, case studies, and career deep-dives.
Page 10 of 15
Forward Deployed
The FDE Interview Loop Decoded: How to Prepare for Deployments, Debugging, and Demos
Stop studying LeetCode. The FDE interview tests deployment velocity, debugging customer data, and live demos. Here's the exact loop breakdown and how to prepare for each stage.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
AI Engineer vs Forward Deployed Engineer: 4-Week LLM Deployment at a Regulated Bank
A real case study deploying an LLM feature inside a regulated bank in 4 weeks. Covers architecture, RBAC, PII redaction, and the concrete differences between an AI Engineer and a Forward Deployed Engineer in high-stakes environments.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
FDE vs Solutions Engineer vs Sales Engineer: Scope, Comp, and Career Paths Compared
Confused about FDE vs Solutions Engineer vs Sales Engineer? We break down the real day-to-day, compensation bands, technical depth, and career trajectories of each role so you can choose the right path.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
How AI-Native Startups Use Forward Deployed Engineers to Win Their First Enterprise Deals
AI-native startups close early enterprise deals by embedding Forward Deployed Engineers on-site to unblock POCs, ship custom integrations, and turn technical chaos into revenue. Here's the playbook.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
On-Site vs Remote FDE: Travel Realities, Client Expectations, and Lifestyle Design
A concrete breakdown of FDE travel: weekly rhythms, client expectations, compensation differences, and how to design a sustainable lifestyle whether you're on-site 4 days a week or fully remote.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
How an FDE Turns a Messy Enterprise Problem into a Shipped Prototype in 7 Days
A concrete case study showing how a forward deployed engineer scopes, builds, and ships a working prototype for a messy enterprise data problem in one week—with comp context and a real decision log.
12 min read
Forward Deployed
On-Site vs Remote FDE Work: Travel Realities, Client Expectations, and Lifestyle
Forward Deployed Engineering sits at the intersection of code and customer. Here's the real trade-off between on-site trust-building and remote execution, including travel schedules, comp, and burnout risks.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
How FDEs Work with Product and Engineering After the Sale: Feedback Loops That Ship
The sale is just the start. Learn how Forward Deployed Engineers build high-velocity feedback loops between customers, product, and engineering to turn field insights into shipped code.
12 min read
Forward Deployed
Scaling Yourself: When an FDE Hands Off a Prototype to Core Engineering
A tactical playbook for Forward Deployed Engineers on handing off prototypes to core engineering without losing speed, trust, or your sanity. Covers the artifact gap, the 72-hour handoff sprint, and why your code is a liability.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
How Palantir-Style FDEs Embed with Customers: Rituals, Artifacts, and Trust
Inside the Palantir forward deployed engineer playbook: the daily standups, decision logs, and trust-building rituals that turn embedded FDEs from vendors into mission partners.
12 min read
Forward Deployed
Case Study: Deploying an LLM Feature at an Enterprise Customer as an FDE
A concrete walkthrough of shipping an LLM feature on-prem for a risk-averse bank. Covers the Palantir FDE playbook, tactical escalation paths, comp context, and the Rule of 40.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
What a Forward Deployed Engineer Actually Does in a Week: Code, Customers, Chaos
A week in the life of a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) isn't sprint tickets and standups. It's a mix of on-site debugging, rapid prototyping, and translating customer chaos into shipped product. Here's the real workflow, comp, and career context.
7 min read
Forward Deployed
Case Study: Deploying an LLM Feature at an Enterprise Customer as an FDE
A real-world walkthrough of shipping an LLM-powered document extraction feature inside a Fortune 500 customer's VPC. Covers discovery, architecture, security, and the messy reality of enterprise AI deployment.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
From Messy Customer Problem to Shipped Prototype in One Week: An FDE Case Study
A concrete walkthrough of a Forward Deployed Engineer turning a chaotic logistics bottleneck into a working prototype in 5 days. Real code, real stakeholder wrangling, and the exact decision-making framework used to ship under pressure.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Debugging in the Customer's Environment Without Their Access: An FDE Playbook
Learn to debug production systems when the customer won't grant access. A concrete FDE playbook covering proxy replays, telemetry triangulation, and the art of the surgical reproduction script.
11 min read
Forward Deployed
The Highest-Leverage FDE Skills in the AI Era: LLMs, RAG, and Agents
Stop chasing every new model release. Master the three highest-leverage skills for Forward Deployed Engineers in 2025: LLM reasoning, RAG architectures, and agentic loops. Concrete workflows, comp implications, and where the real $300K+ AI engineer jobs are.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
The Tools an FDE Ships With: Data Pipelines, Integrations, Demos, and Scaffolding
A concrete playbook of the tools a Forward Deployed Engineer uses to ship data pipelines, customer integrations, live demos, and scaffolding—from Python and React to DuckDB and Terraform.
11 min read
Forward Deployed
How Palantir-Style FDEs Embed with Customers: Rituals, Artifacts, and Trust Building
A concrete playbook for Palantir Foundry forward deployed engineers on embedding with customers: daily stand-ups, technical artifacts, stakeholder mapping, and the trust-building loops that turn pilot projects into multi-million-dollar expansions.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Metrics an FDE Owns: Time-to-Value, Adoption, Expansion, and Revenue Influence
Forward Deployed Engineers don't just ship code—they ship outcomes. Learn the 4 metrics that define a high-impact FDE: Time-to-Value, Adoption, Expansion, and Revenue Influence. A concrete playbook with formulas, real scenarios, and career implications.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
How to Break Into FDE Roles from a Backend or Frontend Background
Transitioning from backend or frontend engineering to a Forward Deployed Engineer role requires a shift from pure building to customer-facing problem-solving. Here’s the concrete playbook for pivoting your skills, mastering AI tooling, and navigating the compensation landscape without starting over.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
What a Forward Deployed Engineer Actually Does in a Week: Code, Customers, Chaos
A real week in the life of a Forward Deployed Engineer: from debugging a customer's Kubernetes cluster at 2 AM to pitching a product roadmap change by Friday. We break down the code, the chaos, and the comp.
7 min read
Forward Deployed
FDE Compensation Bands and How to Negotiate: Equity, Base, and Sign-On
Real Palantir FDSE NYC salary data, equity structures, and negotiation tactics. Breaks down base, RSUs, sign-on bonuses, and how to maximize your offer without leaving money on the table.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
Breaking into Forward Deployed Engineering: A Concrete Roadmap for Backend & Frontend Devs
A no-fluff roadmap to become a Forward Deployed Engineer. Learn the skills, tools, and mindset shifts backend and frontend devs need to ship high-stakes customer solutions fast.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
5-Day LLM Prototype: An FDE's Playbook for Messy Enterprise Problems
A concrete walkthrough of a Forward Deployed Engineer turning chaotic enterprise data into a shipped LLM prototype in 5 days. Covers scoping, chunking, and comp context for an AI engineer job description.
7 min read
345 articles and counting