The Future of Forward Deployed Engineering | OpenAI, Ramp, Nominal, Dataland

What is Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) and why is it becoming one of the most critical roles in the AI era? In this panel discussion hosted at SPC NYC, engineering leaders from OpenAI, Ramp, Nominal, and Dataland break down the evolution of the FDE role. They cover the difference between FDEs and traditional solution engineers, how AI models are shifting the FDE workload from basic plumbing to high-level system architecture, and why FDE is the perfect training ground for future founders. Apply to SPC: https://www.southparkcommons.com/apply Chapters: 00:05-01:44 Introductions 01:45-05:12 Defining Forward Deployed Engineering 05:13-09:35 Why AI is driving the demand for FDEs 09:36-14:44 The evolution of FDEs and AI coding tools 14:45-21:51 FDE vs. Consulting: Avoiding the services trap 21:52-25:12 Balancing custom builds with core product engineering 25:13-33:33 Navigating the tension between FDE and Core Product 33:34-41:13 Scaling the FDE motion at OpenAI 41:14-51:44 Finding the right profile for an FDE