Software Engineer Intern (Recommendation Infrastructure) - 2026 Summer (BS​/MS

Responsibilities
Our Recommendation Architecture Team is responsible for building up and optimizing the architecture for our recommendation products to provide the most reliable and best experience for our Tik Tok users. Interns are important parts to our team with your fresh ideas and creative thoughts.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. Internships at Tik Tok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at Tik Tok.
Internships at Tik Tok aim to provide students with hands-on experience in developing fundamental skills and exploring potential career paths. A vibrant blend of social events and enriching development workshops will be available for you to explore. Here, you will utilize your knowledge in real-world scenarios while laying a strong foundation for personal and professional growth. It runs for 12 weeks.
Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to Tik Tok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as early as possible. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).
Summer Start Dates:

• May 11th, 2026
• May 18th, 2026
• May 26th, 2026
• June 8th, 2026
• June 22nd, 2026

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain high performance online services for Tik Tok recommendation system to support various types of products, such as For You Feed, E-commerce, Social, etc.
• Build extremely efficient and reliable data pipelines for candidates generation, profile generation, training examples generation, realtime online training, etc;
• Build globalized large-scale recommendation system;
• Design and develop high performance computing frameworks and storage systems.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing an Undergraduate/Master in Computer Science or a related technical discipline
• Able to commit to working for 12 weeks during Summer 2026
• Experience in programming, included but not limited to, the following programming languages: C, C++, Java or Python.
• Effective communication skills, self-driven learner, a sense of ownership

Preferred Qualifications

• Projects or research experienced in at least one area of the following areas: personalized recommendations, search engine, machine learning, distributed storage system, big data frameworks is a plus.

By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here:
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $45- $45.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year). Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
• Exercising sound judgment.

About Tik Tok
Tik Tok is the leading destination for…