About the role#
The Social-Friending team builds the infrastructure that helps users discover people, establish connections, and manage relationships on TikTok. You will work across the full relationship lifecycle, from initial discovery to social graph services. This role focuses on building reliable and scalable experiences that serve as the foundation for social interactions across the platform.
What you'll do#
- Design and deliver features that power relationship discovery and management.
- Work across the full stack, including backend services, iOS, and Android applications.
- Own features from technical design and API development to client implementation, testing, and launch.
- Collaborate with product managers, designers, data scientists, and other engineers to deliver work.
- Write maintainable code, create clear documentation, and meet project schedules.
What you'll need#
- Current pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field.
- Ability to commit to a 12-week internship during Summer 2027.
- Experience developing software for backend, iOS, or Android platforms, with a willingness to contribute across all three.
- Solid understanding of computer architecture, data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and software engineering principles.
- Experience designing APIs and integrating mobile applications with backend services.
- Experience independently delivering an end-to-end feature is a plus.
- Familiarity with distributed systems, high-concurrency services, mobile architecture, networking, databases, or performance optimization is helpful.
- Strong problem-solving skills, clear communication, and a sense of responsibility.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California, United States.
- Term: Summer 2027.
- Modality: On-site.
- Employment: Full-time internship.
- Compensation: $45 per hour.
About TikTok
TikTok operates as an entertainment provider. The company maintains a global presence with offices in cities including Los Angeles, Singapore, New York, London, and Tokyo. It employs over 92,000 people. The organization is privately held.
How to get in at TikTok
Landing an internship at TikTok requires speed because early applicants often get seen before the pile grows. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you can apply among the first. This gives you a better chance of your resume being reviewed while the team is still actively filling the position. You should aim to be one of the first people to submit your materials. Reaching out to the right person can also improve your chances of getting a response. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the role or a referral. This direct approach often works better than waiting for a response from a general application queue.
