Forward Deployed Engineer

Why this role exists, and what makes it different from sales engineering or product.

1. 01

   What an FDE Actually Does

   core

   Customer-facing, code-shipping, problem-scoping. You own the demo and the integration.

2. 02

   Customer Empathy

   core

   The real problem is rarely the stated problem. Learn to listen past the ask.

3. 03

   Operating in Ambiguity

   core

   Specs will be incomplete. Ship a thin slice, then iterate with the customer in the room.

Be the person who can wire up any model API in 20 minutes.

1. 01

   Anthropic SDK

   core

   Messages API, tool use, prompt caching, streaming. Know it cold.

   • externalAnthropic API Docs↗
2. 02

   OpenAI SDK

   core

   Responses API, function calling, structured outputs. The other half of the market.

   • externalOpenAI Docs↗
3. 03

   Gemini SDK

   recommended

   Long-context workloads, multimodal. Worth fluency even if it's not your default.

   • externalGemini API Docs↗
4. 04

   Streaming & Realtime

   recommended

   SSE, websockets, partial JSON parsing — what makes demos feel alive.

Before you write code, get the right problem on the table.

1. 01

   Technical Discovery

   core

   Architecture diagrams, data shape, auth model, deployment constraints. Ask early.

2. 02

   Scoping a POC

   core

   Pick the smallest thing that earns the next meeting. Cut features ruthlessly.

3. 03

   Defining Success

   core

   Write down what 'it works' means before you build. Get the customer to agree.

Build POCs that produce wow moments — and survive a live customer call.

1. 01

   Fast POCs with an Agent

   core

   Use vibe-coding tools (Claude Code, Codex) to compress a week of work into a day.

   • lessonA Next.js Feature
2. 02

   Demos That Don't Crash

   core

   Mock the unreliable parts. Cache the slow calls. Have a backup plan for offline.

3. 03

   Realistic Sample Data

   recommended

   Generic data feels generic. Use the customer's own data shape (or a close synth).

4. 04

   Narrating a Live Demo

   recommended

   Telegraph what's about to happen. Pause for reactions. Don't read the screen.

From POC to working integration with the customer's existing stack.

1. 01

   Auth Patterns

   core

   OAuth, SAML, service accounts, API keys. The boring stuff that breaks every integration.

2. 02

   Webhooks & Async

   core

   Long-running AI calls don't fit in a 30-second HTTP request. Design for async.

3. 03

   Data Residency & PII

   recommended

   Where the data lives, what's logged, what's redacted. Enterprise asks early.

4. 04

   Customer-Facing Observability

   recommended

   Give the customer a dashboard. Trust comes from visibility.

Turn the pilot into something the customer's team can own.

1. 01

   Runbooks & Docs

   core

   Write the docs you wish you'd had. Future-you and the customer's ops team thank you.

2. 02

   Handoff Criteria

   core

   Define what 'production-ready' means. Don't hand off a prototype with a bow on it.

3. 03

   Success Metrics in Production

   recommended

   Set up the dashboards that prove the value six months in. Renewal depends on it.

The career multipliers nobody puts on the JD.

1. 01

   Written & Spoken Comms

   core

   Crisp updates, executive summaries, technical explanations for non-technical audiences.

2. 02

   Leading Without Authority

   recommended

   You're not the customer's manager. Influence through expertise and reliability.

3. 03

   Domain Curiosity

   core

   Learn the customer's business. The technical answer always lives inside the business context.