Company
We built the platform
so you don't have to
take our word for it.
SDL Engineering is a US company headquartered in San Francisco with a globally distributed engineering team. We place experienced AI-native engineers on a transparent monthly retainer, and we built software to make what they deliver measurable.
Why we built SDL
Not because engineering talent is hard to find. Because the way it is bought and sold keeps the buyer in the dark.
Buying engineering is an act of faith
You sign a contract, an engineer you have never met starts work somewhere you cannot see, and every week you get a status update written by the people you are paying. If the work is good you find out in a month. If it is not, you find out later than that. Nothing about that arrangement is designed to tell you the truth quickly.
The pricing makes it worse
Most of this market quotes a single bundled number and does not break out how much of it reaches the engineer — one large platform is estimated to keep 50 to 55 percent of every invoice. Add 12-month minimums, and fees of up to $50,000 if you want to hire the person you have been working with all year, and the incentives point away from you.
So we measured the work instead
We built software that watches delivery rather than reporting on it: on-task ratio backed by screenshots, test execution graded by AI, honeypot checks that catch shortcuts, a live dashboard instead of a weekly summary. We pointed it at our own engineering team for three years before we ever showed it to a client.
Then the economics changed
Once our engineers worked AI-first by default, a smaller team covered more ground. We could have kept the difference. Publishing it seemed like the more durable business — so the rate is on the pricing page, it is the same rate for everyone, and there is no conversion fee if you eventually want to hire your engineer outright.
What we will not do
Our story
Hiring engineering help means trusting a vendor you cannot see. We got tired of asking clients to do that, so we built software that measures the work — on-task ratio, AI-graded test execution, delivery progress — and pointed it at our own team first.
It worked, so we made it the business. You get an experienced AI-native engineer at a price we publish, and a dashboard that shows you what they actually did.
Founded
Set out to build software that could measure and improve how engineering actually gets done.
First AI tools
Shipped AI tooling to automate code review and testing. Engineer productivity jumped 40%.
Platform launched
Launched the proprietary workforce and delivery platform. Real-time tracking replaced status meetings.
AI-native loop
Integrity scoring, AI-graded testing, honeypots, and re-test loops became the core of the product.
Opened to customers
After proving the platform on our own engineering org, we opened it to clients — engineers included, at a published rate.
Our platform
The proprietary software behind the price. It is why we can charge what we charge and still let you check the work yourself.
Workforce intelligence
On-task ratio backed by screenshot evidence, integrity scoring, and a watchlist that flags under-performance before it becomes a missed deadline.
AI-native testing & accuracy
Every test case graded by AI, with honeypot checks that catch invented data and shortcuts, plus automatic re-test loops on anything that fails.
Command-center dashboard
Live delivery visibility in one view — throughput, pass rates, agent activity and bug lifecycle — so progress is something you look at, not something you are told.
Founder
George Lee
CEO & Founder
Former tech lead at Fortune 500 companies. Built SDL's first AI tools and architected the platform the business runs on — starting with pointing it at our own engineering team before ever showing it to a client.
SDL is deliberately small and deliberately specific. We are not trying to be the biggest bench in the market — companies like Toptal and Andela already are, and on niche stacks or enterprise procurement they will beat us. We say so on our comparison pages, because you will find it out anyway.
What we are trying to be is the one you can actually verify. One published price. Month to month. A dashboard that shows you the work rather than a summary of it.
The team
See everyone →Engineers are introduced by name at the start of an engagement — you work with a specific person, not a rotating pool. We are adding their profiles here as they agree to be listed publicly.
What we believe
Outcome over output
We measure results, not hours. If it shipped and works, we did our job.
Radical transparency
Every metric visible. Every project tracked in real-time. No surprises.
Speed as a feature
Faster delivery isn't cutting corners — it's eliminating waste with better tools.
Human + AI
AI handles repetition. Humans handle judgment. Together, they're unstoppable.
Want to work with us?
Whether you need a full team or a single engineer, we'll get you started fast.
Get in Touch