Is the FDE role becoming less desirable?

This article examines the growing trend of companies seeking FDE (Founding Developer Experience) roles, with job postings increasing over 10-fold in 2025. Despite high demand, many engineers find the role less appealing due to its nature as a sales or solutions engineering position rather than true software development. The article contrasts the idealized vision of the role with the reality reported by engineers, who describe it as lacking in software engineering and platform contributions, leading to dissatisfaction and quick resignations. It is relevant to IT/TECHNOLOGY as it discusses tech industry roles, engineering careers, and developer experience.