Published:
When AI vendors sell the engineer, buy the handover
Forward deployed engineering became a product line in 2026, and contracts have yet to catch up
Our view
AI vendors are now selling forward deployed engineers as part of the product, which means buyers are paying for a time-limited transfer of capability rather than a system that someone will look after forever. Unless the contract defines handover, ownership of the agent's working assets and the terms of exit, a smooth deployment can quietly turn into lock-in. Japan's trade ministry is now collecting real AI contract problems to inform its guidelines, so contract questions like these may soon get official attention.