The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source This new AI role is exploding (News)
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Nov 10, 2025 A new AI role for forward-deployed engineers is booming, with job postings skyrocketing by 800%. Younger developers are increasingly shunning AWS pain, opting for platforms like Vercel and Heroku instead. There's a compelling argument for writing LLM agents to better understand their behavior. Meanwhile, the Dead Framework Theory suggests that React has become the dominant platform for development. Lastly, a warning is issued against vibe coding unit tests, highlighting the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on LLMs for quality assurance.
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Forward Deployed Engineers Are Rising Fast
- Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) bridge models and real customer needs by embedding with product teams.
- Demand for FDEs jumped ~800% as companies tailor LLMs into scalable, client-specific solutions.
Developers Prefer Low-Pain Deployment Platforms
- Younger developers prefer platforms that remove operational pain rather than platforms that test skill.
- Corey Quinn argues this generational shift could marginalize raw AWS usage outside entrenched users.
Build An Agent To Learn Agents
- Write an LLM agent yourself to truly understand their strengths and limits.
- Building an agent delivers hands-on clarity about agentic programming and its implications.