Hey everyone!

Happy Sunday and thanks for reading :)

The weekend job boards were somehow busier than expected. Nintendo, Amazon, SpaceX, Aurora, Rivian, PayPal, and Anduril all showed up since yesterday.

There is also an internship building software around optical hardware, for anyone whose projects involve more wires than CSS.

Let's get into it!

5 new grad / early career

5 internships

Best companies: Nintendo, Amazon, SpaceX, Aurora, Rivian

Level: New grad / early career

Location: Redmond, WA / On site

Pay: $108,450-$173,550/yr

Why first: Nintendo's Redmond technology team builds system software for current and future game hardware. This one is open to people with 0-3 years of experience and asks for C++, plus coursework in audio, video, DSP, or embedded systems. A class project can actually be relevant here.

Level: Internship

Location: Multiple US offices / On site

Pay: $110,500-$160,000/yr annualized in Seattle

Why first: Amazon's fall internship starts in August or September and runs for 12 weeks. The requirements are pretty reasonable: one programming language, data structures, and a graduation date between October 2026 and September 2029. You can also note whether you prefer ML, distributed systems, mobile, game development, or another area when you apply.

Level: Early career

Location: Redmond, WA / On site

Pay: $125,000-$150,000/yr

Why first: This team builds the system that collects, stores, and queries data coming from Starlink at petabyte scale. SpaceX asks for one year of software or data experience, and aerospace experience is not required. Good one if your background leans backend, data, or distributed systems.

Aurora - Software Engineer I - Aurora builds the software and hardware behind self-driving freight trucks. They want strong C++ and 1-2 years around hardware and software, but internships and academic research count. The role is hybrid in Mountain View and pays $116K-$174K.

PayPal - Software Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure and DevOps - PayPal is hiring on the platform side for cloud infrastructure, deployment tooling, and DevOps. It asks for one year of relevant experience, so a solid internship may be enough. Hybrid in Scottsdale, with $116,500-$173,250 listed.

Cekura - Member of Technical Staff, AI / Software Engineering - Cekura is a small company that tests and monitors voice and chat AI agents before they break in production. They are looking for Python, TypeScript, or Go plus experience with distributed systems, real-time infrastructure, or LLM products. Pay is $120K-$180K, and the listing says sponsorship is available.

Anduril - Software Engineer Intern, 2027 - A 12-week internship at Anduril's Atlanta office, where the company develops and manufactures autonomous aircraft systems. It is for rising seniors and covers everything from algorithms and storage to cloud infrastructure and frontend work. The defense focus and work authorization rules are worth checking before you apply.

Rivian - Software Engineering Intern, Connected Systems - Rivian builds most of its vehicle software in-house, including the systems that connect the car, cloud, and mobile app. This internship is in Palo Alto and asks for Go, Python, or C++. Pay is $45-$51/hr.

Symmetry Systems - Full Stack Software Engineer Intern - Symmetry builds tools that find and protect sensitive company data, including data exposed to AI systems. This is a remote US full-stack internship, and the listing keeps the requirements simple: CS student, some development experience, and decent debugging skills.

Mesh Optical Technologies - Associate Software Engineer Intern / Co-Op - Mesh Optical makes optical systems, so this is much closer to hardware than a normal software internship. They specifically want projects involving firmware, robotics, signal processing, or similar hardware work and will not consider software-only portfolios. On site in Gardena, with $26-$38/hr listed.

Best of luck!

See you shortly,

--

David

Connect with me here if you have any questions, or want to chat about opportunities!