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

Forward Deployed EngineerFDE

Free Open Handbook + Paid Course & Community
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) · EARLY-BIRD PRE-SALE

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, first-hand sources (Bob McGrew's original YC talk, Palantir official materials, FDE leads' own accounts), take-away toolkits — plus a learning community you can join before the live premiere.

100MIN+
Core Video, More if Anything
80%
New Beyond the Free Handbook
5
Take-away Toolkits
Live+ Replay
Community Premiere
01 / CORE

Core Videos

100min+ core videos, learn by doing — more if anything

02 / TOOLKIT

Toolkit × 5

Take-away templates that work out of the box

03 / PRACTICE

Live Teardown

A real business scenario is posed and worked through in class — you finish your first Enterprise AI Feasibility One-Pager on the spot

04 / MATERIAL

Materials & Replay

Viewing PDF on purchase; full video replay after the live session

05 / LIVE

Live & Q&A

Premiere live in the community (Aug 26, Wed 21:00, members only) + recording afterwards

06 / COMMUNITY

Learning Community

Join and chat before the premiere; the live premiere is members-only — the community is a natural filter for fellow travelers

TOOLKIT · ALL FIVE
  • FDE Competency Self-Assessment
  • Enterprise AI Feasibility One-Pager
  • Delivery Three-Gate Checklist
  • 30-Day Pre-Entry Checklist
  • FDE Interview Bank & Prep Plan

Syllabus (Tentative)

SUBJECT TO CHANGE
No.TitleIn one line
01The FDE Landscape: Why Now, with a Cold ShowerBeyond demand data: the real hiring landscape; transferable skills, not an empty title
02Boundaries: What FDE Is Notvs pre-sales / delivery / consulting / outsourcing, plus how to spot a fake FDE
03Methodology: One Backbone, One Corroboration, One FrameworkThe whole course teaches exactly one framework: the DROP5 five questions
04Beyond the Book: Field Corrections Since PublicationChina–US differences, trust cycles, three hurdles to landing
05Cases: My Consulting FrontlineMy own failure post-mortem + delivery evidence, DROP5 in full action
06Two Tracks In: Join a Company or Go IndependentCompetency model & interview prep / five-step project & client screening
07Day 1 / 3 / 7 Action List + Your First One-PagerLive teardown finale: produce your first feasibility one-pager in class
Pricing · Early Bird Ends Aug 26
PRE-ORDER ONLY · GONE AFTER LAUNCHThree perks you only get by pre-ordering
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

Early Bird ¥199 — back to ¥299 once we go live Aug 26

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

Standard
¥299
Effective after the Aug 26 premiere · flat price, no bargaining
Early bird ¥199 is better →
BEST PICK
Early Bird Pre-sale
¥199
¥199 until the Aug 26 premiere (21:00 GMT+8), then ¥299
Reserve Now
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, first-hand post-mortems, toolkits, and community.
Live or recorded?
Live premiere + recording afterwards. Members watch live and interact; non-members get everything by email within two days.
When do I get access?
Premiere live in the community on Aug 26 (Wed) 21:00, members only; within two days, everyone receives the materials (PDF + video replay) by email.
How do I join the community (WeChat group)?
The order form asks for your WeChat ID, and I'll add you myself — usually during work hours; evenings and weekends are family time, so replies may be slow. Once enough people have joined, I'll invite everyone into the group together. Note: you can also choose not to join — you'd miss the Aug 26 live premiere, but all videos and materials still arrive by email within two days, nothing lost.
How are materials delivered?
Within two days of the premiere, 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.
Reserve · Early Bird ¥199 →

Materials (PDF + video replay) arrive by email within two days of the live session — 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 and community walk the first mile with you.

$ fde4.ai · The FDE Field Guide (open source) · by Fan Bing
GitHub Course inquiries: xdash@duck.com