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Open-source Handbook · Free to Read · 4k+ GitHub Stars

Forward Deployed EngineerFDE

Free Open Handbook + Paid Course
by Fan Bing

前线部署工程师的开源实战手册 A field guide for AI builders: from the FDE landscape and winning customers to activating deployments — how FDEs get AI projects done on the customer frontline.

Free to ReadGitHub · 4k+ StarsVersioned, Continuously Updated
WHY FDE · THE ROLE

A role pioneered by Palantir. A necessity of the AI era.

FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) was pioneered by Palantir: engineers embedded on the customer frontline, turning platform capabilities into real business outcomes.

In the LLM era, "easy to buy models, hard to land them" is every enterprise's bottleneck — and OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Sierra, and Harvey are all building FDE teams.

+1165%
YoY growth in FDE job postings · public reports
8,900
FDEs TCS plans to hire · public reports
Big players hiring
OpenAI / Anthropic / Microsoft / Sierra / Harvey
Landing is the moat
Buying models is easy; turning them into results is hard
PAID COURSE · FDE ONLINE COURSE (2026) · NOW LIVE

Don't read alone —
join the cohort

The free handbook covers the "what": the role, the methodology backbone, the landing frameworks — free forever, and enough for many.

But if you want to get from "knowing" to "doing" — this paid course is the hands-on extension of the handbook: less than 20% overlap with the book, the other 80% is all new material.

Practice-first: the author's own consulting experience and failure post-mortems — two failures and one delivery, all from real engagements; PDF materials and the full replay are delivered by email on purchase.

~2hrs
Full live replay incl. Q&A
80%
New Beyond the Free Handbook
6Sessions
Core sessions + live Q&A
Live+ Replay
Aired Aug 26 · Full Replay
01 / CORE

Core Videos

Full replay of the live session, including the on-site Q&A

02 / PRACTICE

Live Teardown

Real consulting scenarios worked through: two failure post-mortems and one delivery, three delivery gates practiced end to end

03 / MATERIAL

Materials & Replay

Viewing PDF and full video replay delivered by email on purchase

04 / LIVE

Live & Q&A

The live premiere aired on Aug 26; the full recording ships with the course

Syllabus (As Delivered)

AIRED AUG 26 · AS DELIVERED
No.TitleIn one line
01Opening: Who's in the Room & Course PromisesWho your classmates are; what this course does and does not promise
02Is the Opportunity Real? Do the Math FirstBeyond demand data: the real hiring landscape in China; four roles fighting to define the job
03China Field Calibration: Three Hurdles to LandingField corrections since publication: China–US differences, trust cycles, three hurdles
04Failure Post-mortem: From Pitfalls to DeliveryTwo of my own consulting failures + one delivery — the heaviest case of the course
05Joining a Company: Bar & Evidence of AbilityThree ten-minute rules to spot a fake FDE; how to build interview-ready evidence
06Going Independent: Clients, Pricing & Saying NoClient acquisition, pricing math (the ¥20k-for-20-minutes case), and client screening
QALive Q&A RecordingOn-site Q&A from the premiere, delivered with the full replay
Pricing · Early Bird Ended · Now Live
PRE-ORDER ONLY · ENDEDThree perks reserved for pre-order buyers
01
Seat at the Premiere
Live in the community on Aug 26 (Wed) 21:00, members only — ask questions in real time; later buyers get the replay only
02
Your Question in Class
Leave the question you care about most in the order form — chances are I'll answer it directly in the course
03
Let Me Know You
Share your background / business in the form: I'll point you to fitting projects; authentic, strong profiles get featured in fde4.ai's ecosystem map, industry directory, and case library
All three are pre-order exclusives — buy after the Aug 26 premiere and you get the replay and materials only

Standard ¥299 · Now Live, Instant Access

¥299 is all-inclusive — no upsells, no WeChat consulting funnel.

NOW LIVE
Standard
¥299
Early bird has ended · flat price, no bargaining
Buy Now ¥299
ENDED
Early Bird Pre-sale
¥199
¥199 pre-sale · closed on Aug 26 — thanks to all who pre-ordered
Early Bird Ended
Alumni Red Packet
¥99
Planet (ZengZhang.AI VIP) members: after purchase, message me on WeChat with your receipt screenshot for a ¥99 red packet
Visit my Planet →

Who it's for

  • We assume frontline experience — we don't start from "what is a token"
  • Engineers / delivery consultants / solution folks moving into FDE
  • Frontline practitioners new to FDE work
  • Enterprise software / delivery / on-site experience, aiming at an FDE role

Who it's not for

  • Anyone hunting a "guaranteed offer" shortcut
  • Zero enterprise software / delivery / on-site experience
  • Owners / decision-makers still early in their AI journey — a course designed for you is in the works; this one may be too hands-on
Open-source book · 4k+ StarsAuthor of Growth Hacker · founder of ZengZhang.AIReal delivery cases (Dongfeng Motor / Huawei Honor / financial institutions / live-commerce MCN)
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Fan Bing
  • Author of Growth Hacker, founder of ZengZhang.AI
  • 10+ years in marketing consulting, AI frontier practitioner
  • Served Dongfeng Motor, Huawei Honor, financial institutions, live-commerce MCNs, and more
  • The book gives the methodology; the course gives hands-on experience and real cases
FAQ · YOU MAY WONDER
I already read the handbook. Do I need the course?
Less than 20% overlap. The handbook gives the methodology; the course gives cases and first-hand post-mortems.
Live or recorded?
The live premiere aired on Aug 26; buy now and all materials plus the full recording arrive by email — instant access.
Is there a learning community (WeChat group)?
The community was an early-bird pre-sale exclusive and ended on Aug 26. The standard version now includes the video course and materials only (PDF + full replay, delivered by email) — no community access.
How are materials delivered?
After purchase, the PDF and video replay (cloud drive / YouTube link) are sent by email — Gmail / iCloud recommended; QQ / 163 and other domestic providers may misfilter. If nothing arrives, check spam first. Support: xdash@duck.com
Can I get an invoice? Is it refundable?
Invoice: this is a personal digital product with no corporate entity, so no invoice (fapiao) can be issued — please don't buy if you need one. Refund: digital content is final sale, no refunds once purchased — if you have any doubts, email xdash@duck.com and ask before ordering.
I'm a business owner / decision-maker, not a frontline practitioner. Is this for me?
It depends on your goal: if you enjoy getting into the details and want to lead from the front — to understand how AI projects actually land on the ground — yes, that's exactly what this course teaches. If you only want concepts and direction, it's probably too hands-on for you — a course designed for you is in the works.
Buy Now · ¥299

Materials (PDF + video replay) arrive by email after purchase — no third-party platform required

WHY NOW · PARTING WORDS

The scarcest thing in the AI era is not models — it's people who turn models into results

Tech depreciates fast; frontline delivery appreciates. FDE is one of the closest-to-revenue technical roles of this wave — the handbook gives you the map; the course walks the first mile with you.

Buy Now · ¥299