Author: Kerro()

Why I’m writing this

I kept seeing job postings from OpenAI and Anthropic for a role called Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), paying noticeably more than a regular SWE, with a job description that reads like a Rorschach test: write code, but also “understand the business,” and also “be embedded with customers long-term.” Turns out the role has a 20-year history — it’s Palantir’s original playbook, and every AI lab is now copying it. This post untangles what FDE actually is, where it came from, how it differs from adjacent roles, and whether it’s worth chasing.

Published on 2026-09-07 at Kerro's Odd Adventure, last modified on 2026-09-07