A Summer at TikTok: Meet Our Interns!

This summer, TikTok welcomed a new class of interns who brought their unique skills and enthusiasm to a variety of teams and to the platform. Reya, Oliver, and Geoffery, based in Seattle, London, and Sydney respectively, spoke to us about their internships conducting research and implementing cutting-edge technologies, as well as growing and owning their own ideas during their time on their teams.

Tell us about the work you do: What does a typical day look like for you?

Reya: I'm a machine learning engineer intern, and I work as a part of the Supply Chain and Logistics team in TikTok Shop. A typical day for me is looking at a lot of graphs, analyzing data, coding, fixing bugs, and reading research papers! I really enjoy the freedom we have to explore new ideas and put them into practice.

Oliver: I work in Global Business Marketing. I tackle a variety of tasks each day, like creating campaign impact reports, planning agendas, and conducting research. I work on projects such as developing content maps and designing feedback surveys. What I love most is Solving problems creatively, whether it's coming up with innovative TikTok merchandise ideas or gathering feedback to shape future projects. My efforts support the team in staying organized and productive.

Geoffrey: As a Multimedia Research and Development intern on the Video Cloud Infrastructure team, my typical day at TikTok varies greatly! Some days, I focus solely on development work, while on others, I engage in detailed project discussions and code reviews. During tougher days, I tackle online issues related to streaming. I particularly enjoy the development aspect of my work because designing the infrastructure challenges my critical thinking skills, requiring me to assess whether a design is scalable or if an algorithm is efficient enough.


What is the biggest highlight of your work so far?

Reya: You know those delivery date ranges you see when you're shopping? My main project involves improving the accuracy of those predictions, aiming to narrow down the ranges so you don't have to wait as long for your favorite products. It's really exciting to work on something where you can directly see your impact on users!

Oliver: I worked closely on a project to map out the content for the second half of the year. This involved collaborating with the regional creative lead and consulting with each local market lead. Our goal was to create a new, centralized space where each local market could easily access the content they need and identify the appropriate contacts for further consultation. Once we built it, we started using it within our bi-weekly team meeting!

Geoffrey: One of my most exciting projects is streaming cost optimization. TikTok has a very high volume of streaming traffic, which presents a lot of unique challenges to be solved, such as quality of service and streaming costs. My project has personally taught me a lot about streaming infrastructure, API methods, and databases. I received a lot of very helpful feedback from my team members about my code, which improves my code quality and critical thinking.

What do you like the most about working at TikTok?

Reya: I love that we have a culture that de-empathsizes hierarchy; I can reach out to anyone on the team without worrying about titles or positions. I don't even know everyone's titles on my team since they aren't listed anywhere on their profile. We just focus on what projects everyone is working on, and that's all that matters. I used to be a bit hesitant about asking questions or reaching out for help when I encounter problems, but at TikTok, my mentor and manager frequently checked in with me to ensure I wasn't facing any issues. This support has made me feel so comfortable that now I don't even think twice before reaching out to anyone.

Geoffrey: My favorite part about working at TikTok is the work culture. My mentors always ensure that I am up to date with information, and I always receive constructive feedback on my work, which allows me to improve my skills. We have done several team bonding activities like basketball, dinners, and even board games to strengthen our relationship as people.


What advice would you give to someone who is interested in interning at TikTok?

Reya: It's a fast-paced tech environment with incredible people, so having a learning mindset and embracing new, creative ideas is key. Stay updated by reading tech blogs and keeping an eye on the latest trends.

Oliver: Show your passion for creativity, no matter what team or department you are in. Go above and beyond in building up a network, cross-functionally. Come into it with a curious mindset. Be open to learning new things. During my internship at TikTok, I learned the importance of adaptability, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Geoffrey: Go for it! TikTok is a great opportunity to learn from industry professionals, and get guidance and feedback from your mentor. There will be many new, interesting things to learn, and many invaluable opportunities to grow your skillset and connections. Working at TikTok has not only helped me develop fundamental skills in code development and practices, but has also given me deep insight into the software industry. As a software engineer, I understand a lot more about how business decisions are made, and how they affect clients/ users.

Across teams, TikTok interns get the chance to learn, grow, and cultivate inspiration that's infinite. Interested in applying for the next internship season? Don't hesitate! Submit your application now and take the first step towards an enriching internship experience.