Forward Deployed Engineering: Building AI That Businesses Can Use

AI teams can build solutions faster than many organizations can make decisions. That gap is changing how engineers work with the business and what companies need from technical leaders.Ash Pembroke, Managing Director of AI Strategy at Accordion, joins The Tech Trek to discuss the growing role of forward deployed engineers. She explains why technical depth alone is not enough and how successful teams combine engineering, product thinking, and business knowledge.The conversation covers leading lean engineering teams, finding the right mix of skills, working alongside business stakeholders, and navigating the tension between rapid AI development and slower organizational adoption.Key TakeawaysStrong forward deployed engineers combine technical expertise with curiosity and business understanding.Lean teams need complementary skills rather than one engineer who can do everything.AI agents can extend existing SaaS systems, but replacing those systems requires careful decisions.Faster development does not automatically mean faster adoption or better business decisions.Episode Highlights01:30 What makes a strong forward deployed engineer?03:18 Leading small engineering teams with overlapping responsibilities08:25 How AI agents are changing the role of traditional SaaS16:50 Moving from software engineering or product into forward deployed roles25:13 Why business decisions can become the bottleneck to AI adoption33:48 Giving business teams the ability to automate their own workflows safelyA Moment Worth Pulling Out"Nobody knows the work better than the person doing the work."Ash makes the case for giving employees the tools, access, and guardrails to improve their own workflows.Follow The Tech Trek for more conversations on AI, engineering, and technical leadership.