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We've covered what an FDE is and what the job actually looks like day to day. The natural next question: should you want this job — and if so, how do you actually get it? The honest fit test FDE work rewards a specific temperament, and it's worth being honest about whether it's yours before you chase it for the salary alone (and the salary is real: average total comp is now reportedly around $238K, with a range from roughly $205K to $486K, and senior FDEs at frontier labs goi

In the last post, we built up the idea of a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) from first principles: an engineer who sits with the customer and ships the code, collapsing the usual gap between "understanding the problem" and "building the solution." That's the theory. What does it actually look like on a Tuesday? The traditional software engineer's day Picture a typical SWE at a product company. Their day is structured around internal development: a standup, some deep-focus tim

If you've browsed tech job boards recently, you've probably noticed a title popping up everywhere: Forward Deployed Engineer. Palantir, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Databricks — all hiring for it, some by the dozens. Anthropic even set up a joint venture with Blackstone and Goldman Sachs just to embed these engineers inside financial firms. So what actually is this job, and why does it suddenly matter so much? Let's build it up from scratch. The problem: some software can't jus

Most organizations don't have an AI ambition problem. They have an AI follow-through problem. Across financial services, manufacturing, energy, and telecom, we see the same pattern: a promising proof-of-concept gets built, a model performs well in a sandbox, leadership is excited — and then, six months later, it's quietly shelved. Not because the technology failed, but because the organization around it wasn't ready to carry it into production. At Cactus, this is the gap we s

Last week, I found myself standing inside London Excel, clutching a coffee and taking in the buzz around me. It was the DigiGov Expo, and I had no idea just how much this experience would leave a mark. We actually arrived a day early to set up our booth - and I’m so glad we did. That extra time gave us a chance to settle in, walk around, and soak up the atmosphere before the rush began. Even then, the energy was already building. People were prepping, chatting, and getting ex

Not too long ago, the most sensitive information in the world was kept under lock and key - literally. Birth certificates, contracts, deeds, and medical files lived in the most secure filing cabinets, safes, and archives. Protecting them meant good locks, highly trusted custodians, and maybe a guard dog! Fast forward to today: those same records exist as lines of code in a cloud database. They’re faster to access - almost instantaneously, easier to share - and, unfortuna

In a few days, the DigiGov Expo will once again open its doors at Excel, London (24-25 September), bringing together thousands of people who care deeply about the future of public services. It’s a chance to share ideas, learn from real-world examples, and explore how technology can help government become more efficient and citizen focused. At Cactus, we’re looking forward to being part of those conversations. But while the event will showcase the latest tools and innovations,