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.
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Forward Deployed
Case Study: Deploying a Sensitive LLM Feature at a Regulated Enterprise
How one FDE navigated SOC2, air-gapped VPCs, and the 'just use the API' fallacy to ship a document redaction agent. A tactical breakdown of architecture, compliance, and ai engineer job growth.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
The Highest-Leverage Skills for an FDE in the AI Era: Systems Thinking and Evaluation
Forward Deployed Engineers bridge code and chaos. In the AI era, coding speed is commoditized. The highest-leverage skills are ruthless Systems Thinking and rigorous LLM Evaluation. Here's how to master them.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Case Study: Deploying a Sensitive LLM Feature at a Regulated Bank
A tactical walkthrough of deploying an LLM feature inside a top-5 US bank. We cover air-gapped architecture, PII redaction pipelines, hallucination guardrails, and the FDE career capital earned by shipping where compliance said no.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
On-Site vs Remote FDE: Travel Realities and the Hybrid Embed Model
Forward Deployed Engineers don't just code—they embed. This engineer-to-engineer guide breaks down the travel grind, salary deltas, and the hybrid embed model that defines on-site vs remote FDE work.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
What a Forward Deployed Engineer Actually Does in a Week at an AI Startup
A concrete, no-BS breakdown of an FDE's weekly workflow: from customer trauma to shipped code, the decisions, tools, and comp realities of the hottest AI role.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
The FDE Interview Loop: Tactical Prep for Decomposition and Debugging Rounds
Master the two hardest FDE interview rounds. Learn tactical frameworks for system decomposition, live debugging under pressure, and the specific signals top AI startups hunt for in 2026.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
Scaling Yourself: When an FDE Hands Off to Core Engineering Without Dropping Context
A tactical playbook for Forward Deployed Engineers on executing zero-context-loss handoffs to core engineering. Covers artifact-driven specs, RFC rituals, and SLA design patterns.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
The Tools an FDE Ships With: Data, Integrations, and Demos That Close Deals
Forget generic SaaS stacks. A real FDE ships with Python, DuckDB, and a ruthless instinct for turning messy customer data into a demo that closes a 6-figure deal before lunch.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Debugging in the Customer's Environment Without Their Access: An FDE Playbook
A tactical guide for Forward Deployed Engineers to debug production issues in air-gapped, customer-hosted environments without direct shell or database access. Covers telemetry proxies, session replay, and structured evidence collection.
7 min read
Forward Deployed
How Palantir-Style FDEs Embed with Customers: The Forward-Deployed Model Explained
A concrete engineer-to-engineer breakdown of how Palantir's forward-deployed model actually works. Real embedding mechanics, technical workflows, comp realities, and how to replicate the model in your own career.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
The FDE Interview Loop: Deconstructing the Gauntlet and How to Prepare
A concrete, engineer-to-engineer breakdown of the FDE interview loop. Learn the exact stages, technical deep-dives, and strategic prep for cracking Palantir, OpenAI, and Google-style forward deployed roles.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
How to Break Into FDE Roles from a Backend or Frontend Background
Transitioning from backend or frontend engineering into a Forward Deployed Engineer role requires retooling for high-ambiguity problem solving. This playbook covers the exact skill gaps, project archetypes, and negotiation levers for making the switch.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
FDE Compensation Bands in 2025: Benchmark and Negotiate Your Offer
Decode 2025 FDE compensation bands by stage and region. Learn to reverse-engineer the recruiter’s range, anchor high with a live data script, and negotiate equity without burning the bridge.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
The Highest-Leverage Skills for an FDE in the AI Era: Beyond Prompt Engineering
Prompt engineering is table stakes. The highest-leverage FDE skills in the AI era are system design for non-determinism, evaluation-driven development, and translating business entropy into deterministic contracts. Real workflows, comp context, and concrete decisions inside.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
The FDE Portfolio in 2025: Projects That Prove You Can Ship in Chaos
Forget toy apps. A Forward Deployed Engineer portfolio must demonstrate speed, ambiguity absorption, and customer-facing delivery. Here's how to build one that gets you hired.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
A Forward Deployed Engineer's Week: Real Workflows, Not Hype
A concrete breakdown of a Forward Deployed Engineer's week: solving real customer problems, shipping fast prototypes, and bridging the gap between sales and engineering. No buzzwords, just the gritty reality.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
Writing Customer-Facing Technical Docs That Actually Get Read: An FDE's Guide
Stop writing documentation that collects digital dust. Learn the FDE playbook for creating customer-facing technical docs that users read, understand, and act on—driving adoption and reducing support load.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
How FDEs Work with Product and Engineering After the Sale: A Collaboration Model
A concrete model for how Forward Deployed Engineers partner with Product and core Engineering post-sale—from triaging escalations to shaping the roadmap with customer telemetry. No theory, just the workflows, artifacts, and comp context.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
The Tools an FDE Ships With: Data, Integrations, and Demos That Close Deals
A Forward Deployed Engineer's actual toolkit: the data integration platforms, API glue, and demo environments that turn messy enterprise problems into closed revenue in a single week.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
Scaling Yourself: The Art of an FDE Handoff to Core Engineering
A concrete playbook for Forward Deployed Engineers on executing a clean handoff. Learn when to hand off, how to structure artifacts, and how to avoid the dreaded "re-write".
7 min read
Forward Deployed
On-Site vs Remote FDE: Travel Realities, Burnout, and Setting Boundaries
Forward deployed engineer travel isn't glamorous—it's a logistics puzzle with high burnout risk. This guide breaks down on-site vs remote realities, comp structures, and boundary-setting tactics that keep you effective without breaking you.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
How FDEs Turn a Messy Customer Problem into a Shipped Prototype in a Week
A concrete playbook for Forward Deployed Engineers: compress discovery, scope ruthlessly, pick boring infra, and ship a working prototype in 5 days without burning yourself out.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
Deploying an LLM Feature at an Enterprise Customer: A Week-by-Week Case Study
A concrete case study of deploying an LLM feature inside a regulated enterprise. Week-by-week breakdown of on-site discovery, air-gapped architecture, prompt engineering, and the FDE comp tied to shipping high-stakes integrations.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
From FDE to Founder: Why Forward Deployed Engineering Is the Ultimate Startup Prep
Forward Deployed Engineers don't just ship code—they build companies. This playbook breaks down exactly why the FDE role creates better founders than PM or pure SWE tracks, with real workflows, comp data, and the skills that transfer directly to founding.
11 min read
345 articles and counting