Retainer vs. Project: The Ongoing FDE Relationship
Projects buy defined output, retainers buy standing attention. When each shape wins, what the numbers look like, and how to keep a retainer honest.
Read article → FDE FundamentalsWhen Hiring an FDE Is the Wrong Move
The honest contrarian checklist: messy data, platform-scale problems, no named workflow, no owner. When an FDE is a band-aid, and what to do instead.
Read article → Case Studies & StoriesThe AI Agent That Went Rogue (Almost): An AI Agent Failure Guardrails Case Study
A customer-email agent promised refunds it shouldn't have. The catch, the retrofit, and the five guardrails every customer-facing agent needs.
Read article → Tools & StackSQLite for Prototypes and Small Apps: Stronger Than You Think
No server, no credentials, no 2 a.m. pages. Why SQLite carries a prototype further into production than you'd guess, and the honest signs it's time to leave.
Read article → Prototyping & DeliveryThe Prototype to Production Checklist: From Demo to Dependable
The demo got applause; now forty people want to use it Monday. Twelve unglamorous things and a two-week hardening plan stand between you and V1.
Read article → AI & DataFine-Tuning vs. RAG: When to Use Each, and Why Teams Get It Wrong
Prompts first, retrieval for knowledge that changes, fine-tuning for behavior. The order of operations most AI projects get backwards.
Read article → Industry PlaybooksForward Deployed Engineer for SaaS Companies: Why Big Customers Hire One
Enterprise customers want custom work; your roadmap wants to live. How a two-person FDE pod keeps both sides happy, with the math that makes it obvious.
Read article → Hiring & CareersThe FDE's First 30 Days With a New Client
No ticket queue, no instructions, just a contract that says 'improve things.' The FDE's first 30 days with a new client, week by week.
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