FDE role split in two: lonely contractors inside companies vs freelancing 'ronin samurai' printing cash
teodorio · x · 2026-10-28
A debate on the Forward Deployed Engineer role: the quoted post argues FDEs are treated as outside contractors with no roadmap say, poorly attended knowledge sessions, unmeasurable impact and a lonely in-between life. The poster counters that freelance FDEs now choose their own clients and jurisdictions and 'print cash' — tech's closest thing to a sovereign individual. Together the two views show the role's split: awkward inside a company, lucrative and free solo.
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