SEs are the future — John Forbes

I think Sales Engineers* are the future of software companies, here’s why.

Are SEs becoming the most valuable generalists in a company?
by u/scrugmando in salesengineers

They are:

At the edge of the product and capabilities. Usually defining new features that will close prospects.
Actually with the customer understanding their need. Usually exhibit a ton of user empathy.
Can refine the positioning and messaging live (discovery demo) for both the pitch and the product. No other role can do that and get such quick feedback cycles.
So they can sell, they can market, they can build products.
They are operators who deeply understand user needs, so they end up building solutions in-house too. Lots of SEs I know also manage parts of Salesforce, may set up Slack workflows, Zapier, built a little homegrown widget.
Cycle between jobs — PM, AE, CSM, etc.

With AI, it’s only going to get better for them. They are technical system thinkers and with agentic coding tools like Claude Code or Codex, they can:

Create their own products / features that solve real problems. Branch either in the IDE or using a git-backed tool like V0 (on Vercel).
Craft the perfect demo/onboarding with realish prospect data. Easy to create examples from prospect website, info, discovery call notes. Easier to import example data with re-formatting.
All the API / Python integrations just got a ton easier. Don’t have to learn another tool’s endpoints, can just ask.

What could hold them back:

Taste. Most SEs are thinking in business flows, integrations, value, and outcomes — not delightful UX.
First principles thinking. Many of the best tech leaders say “don’t build what the users ask for” — SEs want to build what they ask for.
Liking the tech too much. The demo crime! Getting excited about the technology and not focusing on the impact.

*Pre-sales technical role — Solution Engineer, Solution Consultant, sometimes Solution Architect, Field CISO.