About the role#
The Live Arch team builds and maintains the streaming media technology for TikTok Live. You will help us improve our platform, ensuring creators can share their lives in real time. This internship provides hands-on experience, industry exposure, and the chance to apply your technical knowledge to real-world challenges alongside our team.
What you'll do#
- Research and build new features for our Live and RTC streaming media platform.
- Design and write multimedia and network programs for client SDKs and media servers.
- Develop solutions that function across iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Improve video algorithms and network transmission to enhance the user experience.
- Analyze performance data, adjust parameters, and optimize Live and RTC services from end to end.
- Explore new technologies and contribute to team innovation initiatives.
What you'll need#
- Current pursuit of a Bachelor or Master degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field.
- A strong foundation in computer science, networking, and operating systems.
- Experience in multimedia technologies like image processing, video codecs, or streaming.
- Proficiency in at least one programming language, such as C/C++, Java/Kotlin, Objective-C/Swift, Python, or Golang.
- Strong skills in signal processing, video compression, and video processing algorithms.
- Knowledge of network algorithms like congestion control, loss recovery, bandwidth estimation, and real-time transmission protocols.
- Familiarity with multimedia tools such as FFmpeg, GStreamer, OBS Studio, WebRTC, or RTP/RTCP.
- Experience with mobile frameworks like iOS Core Data/Animation or Android SDK.
- Experience with media servers like Nginx RTMP, Licode, Kurento, or mediasoup.
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California.
- 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.
