Software Engineer Intern (-Social-Friending)

About the Role

The team builds the products and infrastructure that help users discover people they know, establish and manage connections, and maintain meaningful relationships on TikTok. Our work spans the full relationship lifecycle, from relationship discovery and connection establishment to relationship management and social graph services. We build reliable, scalable, and privacy-conscious experiences across TikTok’s backend, iOS, and Android platforms, providing the relationship foundation for a wide range of social experiences on TikTok.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. Our internship program offers students hands-on experience, industry exposure, and opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges while building a strong foundation for personal and professional growth. Interns will gain practical experience, explore potential career paths, and participate in social events, learning programs, and development workshops alongside industry professionals.

Key Responsibilities

As a Full-Stack Software Engineer Intern on the team, you will:

• Design, develop, and deliver business-critical systems and product features that power relationship discovery, connection, and management experiences on TikTok.
• Work across the full product stack, including backend services, iOS applications, and Android applications.
• Own features end to end—from technical design and API development to client implementation, testing, launch, and iteration.
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, data scientists, and engineers across multiple teams to deliver high-quality products in a fast-paced environment.
• Write robust and maintainable code, create clear technical documentation, and deliver high-quality work on schedule.

Requirements & Tech Stack

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Able to commit to a 12-week internship during Summer 2027.
• Experience developing software across backend, iOS, or Android platforms, with the ability and willingness to contribute across all three.
• Strong understanding of computer architecture, data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and software engineering principles.
• Experience designing APIs and integrating mobile applications with backend services.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience independently delivering an end-to-end feature spanning backend services and mobile clients.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, high-concurrency services, mobile architecture, networking, databases, or performance optimization.
• High levels of creativity and strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong learning ability, clear communication, and a strong sense of teamwork and responsibility.