About the role#
The Agentic Arch team builds AI-native engineering infrastructure to change how software is designed, built, and operated at the scale of TikTok. We research and deploy reliable long-horizon agents that reason over large codebases, interact with complex tools, and complete engineering tasks across distributed production systems. This role offers an opportunity to advance agent research through real-world execution feedback.
What you'll do#
- Develop and evaluate frontier methods for AI agents.
- Bring methods into production using platforms that operate at large scale.
- Formulate ambiguous real-world problems and design rigorous experiments to test your ideas.
- Analyze results and iterate based on evidence.
- Collaborate across research, infrastructure, platform, and product teams to create measurable improvements in engineering productivity and software quality.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing or recently completed a PhD in Computer Science or a related field.
- Research or engineering experience in AI agents, machine learning, natural language processing, distributed systems, or programming languages.
- Proficiency in Python, C++, Go, or Java.
- Understanding of agent planning, model post-training, reinforcement learning, memory systems, or agent evaluation.
- Ability to translate research into production impact.
- Experience with large codebases, CI/CD, or distributed systems is preferred.
- Evidence of research excellence through publications, open-source work, or deployed systems.
Location & details#
- This role is based in San Jose, California.
- The position is on-site and full-time.
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Compensation is $60 per hour.
- Sponsorship is not provided for this position.
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.
