- Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) are software engineers who alternate between being embedded with customer teams and core product engineering teams, performing a mix of software, sales, and platform engineering.
- Palantir pioneered the role in the early 2010s, originally calling it 'Delta', and until 2016 had more FDEs than standard software engineers, significantly shaping the role.
- FDEs help close sales by assisting customers with product integration, often traveling to customer sites (e.g., 25-50% onsite time) and working in varied environments like factory floors.
- They contribute to core product development, adding features based on customer needs, and often work with ambiguity to build solutions, such as AI integrations.