Executive search firm Christian & Timbers estimates that there are only about 2,000 engineers in the U.S. with the special cocktail of sector know-how, gravitas, and hands-on applied AI experience needed to consistently help enterprises see a return on their AI expenditures.
“Not 2,000 available,” reads the study, shared exclusively with TechCrunch. “2,000 total.”
As enterprises move from trying to access the best models to figuring out how to implement them into workflows that meaningfully improves their bottom line, it appears the forward-deployed engineer (FDE) — engineers who work within client organizations to build, implement and deploy software or AI models — is about to become among the most sought-after specialist in the AI industry.
Demand for FDEs is already rising rapidly, according to the C&T study, which projects demand for these specialists to surge by 2,100% by the end of the year.
The research draws on interviews with more than 250 C-suite hiring executives across 180 companies, a focused survey of 80 Fortune 500 executives, and interviews with more than 300 FDEs and applied AI engineers between January and June 2026.
