Isn’t this because they are hiring to solve the problem, like, a function that predicts X, and if the model engineer is also the production engineer this is one

Isn’t this because they are hiring to solve the problem, like, a function that predicts X, and if the model engineer is also the production engineer this is one hire that solves the business problem? The alternative is hiring two engineers and possibly additional pm/management workflow to make sure they mesh and the prod engineer is not blocked on the model engineer, and the model engineer delivers things that are usable. It’s a bit like when we used to have a “webmaster”, or now I suppose they could be a “full stack consultant” who was in charge of making sure the right pixels appeared on thecompanywebsite.com more or less by any means necessary because that was the business need.