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 5 of 15
Forward Deployed
The FDE Portfolio: Shipped Artifacts and Decision Logs to Get Hired
Forget toy apps. Forward Deployed Engineer portfolios win with shipped artifacts, decision logs, and customer-facing impact. Here's exactly what to build to get hired.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
The FDE Interview Loop: Preparing for Signal Over Leetcode Memorization
Stop grinding Leetcode. Forward Deployed Engineer interviews test customer empathy, system design under ambiguity, and debugging live systems. Here's the real loop and how to prepare.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Breaking into FDE Roles from a Backend or Frontend Background: A Practical Guide
Transition from backend or frontend engineering to a Forward Deployed Engineer role. Learn the skill gaps, real project scenarios, interview prep, and compensation realities to pivot successfully.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
The FDE Toolkit: Shipping with Data Pipelines, Integrations, and Live Demos
An engineer's playbook for the tools a Forward Deployed Engineer ships with: data pipelines, customer integrations, and live demos that close deals in 2025.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
The FDE Portfolio: What to Build to Land a Forward Deployed Engineer Job
Stop building todo apps. Forward Deployed Engineer portfolios need artifacts that prove you can ship in chaos. Learn the 3 projects that demonstrate technical rigor and customer obsession.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
From FDE to Founder: Why Forward Deployed Engineering Is the Ultimate Startup MBA
Forward Deployed Engineers don't just ship code—they live inside the customer's problem. Here's why the FDE skill set (high agency, zero-handoff engineering, and brutal prioritization) maps 1:1 to founder success, including comp realities and a transition playbook.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
Case Study: Deploying an LLM Feature at a Regulated Enterprise with Strict Air-Gap Rules
A real-world walkthrough of deploying a RAG feature inside a SCIF-like air-gapped enterprise. Covers architecture, tooling decisions, security approvals, and the FDE comp upside of high-stakes delivery.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
How AI-Native Startups Use Forward Deployed Engineers to Close and Expand Enterprise Deals
A concrete case study on how YC-backed AI startups deploy FDEs to unblock POCs, build custom integrations, and turn technical firefighting into seven-figure expansion revenue—plus real workflows, comp data, and a tactical FAQ.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
What a Forward Deployed Engineer Actually Does in a Week: A Diary-Based Breakdown
A real-world week-in-the-life breakdown for early-career Forward Deployed Engineers. Covers mission rooms, debugging customer infra, building tactical tools, and navigating the salary curve from $150k to $300k.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
Forward Deployed Engineer vs Consultant: Operating Model and Ownership Compared
Forward Deployed Engineer vs Consultant: a deep dive into compensation, operating models, and technical ownership. See real scenarios that separate the FDE from the strategy deck.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Deploying LLMs in Air-Gapped Enterprises: An FDE Case Study
A real-world walkthrough of deploying a private LLM feature inside a financial institution with no internet access. Covers architecture, RAG on classified docs, and navigating compliance.
6 min read
Forward Deployed
FDE Compensation Bands and How to Negotiate Your Offer in 2025
Real FDE compensation data for 2025: base salary, equity, and bonus bands from startups to FAANG. Tactical negotiation scripts and leverage points for forward deployed engineers.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
On-Site vs Remote FDE Work: Travel Realities, Cadences, and Where the Role Is Heading
Forward Deployed Engineers face a unique tension between 50%+ travel and remote flexibility. This guide breaks down real on-site vs remote cadences, travel compensation, tax pitfalls, and why hybrid models are winning.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
Writing Customer-Facing Technical Docs That Stakeholders Actually Read
Stop writing documentation that collects digital dust. A practical engineer's guide to structuring, scoping, and delivering customer-facing technical content that executives, product, and end-users actually consume and act on.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
How FDEs Turn a Messy Customer Problem into a Shipped Prototype in 7 Days
A concrete playbook for Forward Deployed Engineers: how to scope, build, and ship a working prototype from a vague customer problem in one week. Real workflows, decision frameworks, and compensation context.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
Case Study: Deploying an LLM Feature Behind an Enterprise Firewall in 2 Weeks
A real-world FDE playbook for shipping a production RAG feature inside an air-gapped enterprise. Covers the VPC architecture, model selection, tooling decisions, and the brutal timeline that made it work.
11 min read
Forward Deployed
How Palantir-Style FDEs Embed with Customers: The Operating Model and Daily Rhythm
A concrete breakdown of the Palantir Forward Deployed Engineer operating model: how FDEs embed on-site, the daily rhythm of triage and build, and the comp/career context behind it.
10 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 2026 are operational intuition, sandboxed execution, and turning raw model output into revenue. Real workflows, comp numbers, and a concrete case study included.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
From FDE to Founder: Why Forward Deployed Engineering Is the Best Startup Prep
Forward Deployed Engineers build products inside customer chaos. That raw exposure to procurement, churn, and unscalable fixes creates better founders than any MBA. Here's the real transition playbook.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
FDE Compensation Bands & Negotiation Tactics: Palantir to OpenAI in 2026
A concrete breakdown of forward deployed engineer salary bands from Palantir to OpenAI, including equity structures, negotiation scripts, and career leverage.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
The Highest-Leverage Skills for an FDE in the AI Era Beyond Prompt Engineering
Prompt engineering is table stakes. The real FDE career edge lies in evaluation-driven engineering, building agent-native UIs, and deploying secure AI systems behind firewalls. Here's the concrete skillset that unlocks a $200K+ AI engineering career.
8 min read
Forward Deployed
What a Forward Deployed Engineer Actually Does in a Week: A Time Audit
A concrete, hour-by-hour breakdown of a Forward Deployed Engineer's week. From debugging customer firewalls to shipping prototypes, see the real workflow, tools, and comp data behind the title.
9 min read
Forward Deployed
How to Break Into FDE Roles from a Backend or Frontend Background
Bridge from backend or frontend engineering to Forward Deployed roles. Real workflows, compensation context, and a concrete upskilling path without the hype.
10 min read
Forward Deployed
How Forward Deployed Engineers Turn a Messy Customer Problem into a Shipped Prototype in a Week
A concrete playbook for Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) on scoping, building, and shipping AI prototypes under enterprise constraints in one week. Covers discovery, tech stack selection, and stakeholder management.
8 min read
345 articles and counting