What FDE Means at OpenAI
OpenAI, Thursday, October 22nd, 2026
OpenAI's head of forward deployed engineering explains how the FDE team works with customers on their hardest problems.
Colin Jarvis, head of Forward Deployed Engineering at OpenAI, explains what the FDE team does and how it works.
He says he founded the team in early 2025 to close the deployment gap between what models appear capable of and what people can reliably use.
FDEs work alongside customers on their hardest problems, make repeatable solutions with Product, and bring model shortcomings back to Research.
Jarvis says the goal is for each engagement to raise the floor so future customers need less help.