Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs), a role Palantir created in 2011 to combine solutions and integration engineering, have become one of the most in-demand jobs in tech as companies race to help enterprises actually deploy AI tools. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said the company is hiring hundreds more FDEs to scale customer AI transformation, OpenAI launched an “OpenAI Deployment Company” with consulting and investment firms that puts FDEs at the front, and Box CEO Aaron Levie called the role “one of the most important functions for AI rollouts.” LinkedIn data shows 8,500 FDE roles were created in the US between 2023 and 2025, with job postings up 800% between January and September 2025, and Anthropic currently lists FDE openings paying $200K to $300K annually.
