Internship, Fullstack Engineer, AI Tooling (Summer 2026)

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application: 

This position is expected to start May 2026 and continue through summer term (ending approximately August 2026 or later, if available). We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) and on-site, for most internships. Our internship program is for students who are actively enrolled in an academic program. Recent graduates seeking employment after graduation and not returning to school should apply for full-time positions, not internships.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school on your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year. 

About the Team:

As an intern on the AI Tooling team, you bring top-notch software engineering skills and can contribute to our tooling systems immediately. Knowledge of machine learning, computer vision, or neural networks is a plus but not required. That can be learned on the job as you work with our machine learning experts. A strong candidate for the AI Tooling team will either be an excellent software generalist, or someone who is exceptionally strong in either backend or frontend engineering. Your application will be consdiered for two different teams, Optimus and Autopilot. 

Optimus AI Team: The AI Tooling team is a central part of Autopilot AI. The systems you build will have a large impact on the entire lifecycle of model development. This includes data processing, data discovery, annotation, and visualization. This also includes tools that help us automate the entire workflows of training, validation, and productionization of our Autopilot neural networks and the Tesla Bot.  

Autopilot AI Team: As a member of the Autopilot AI Tooling team you will design and implement a diverse set of tools that power our machine learning workflows and Humanoid Robot. You will work closely with some of the best, world-class AI researchers and machine learning experts towards Tesla’s goal of a self-driving future.  

What You’ll Do

• Improve and maintain the frontends and backends of our AI web tools 

• Work with controls, planning, and machine learning engineers to build tooling tailored to their workflows 

• Debug issues with our live system, identify the root causes, and fix them 

• Build metrics and monitor performance + reliability of our systems 

What You’ll Bring

• Pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or relevant field of study with a graduation date between August 2026 - April 2027 

• Must be able to relocate and work on site in Palo Alto, CA 

• Strong knowledge of Python and Typescript 

• Experience building modern web applications using React (Three.js nice to have) 

• Experience with k8s is preferred

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills 

Compensation and Benefits

Benefits

As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for:

• Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction

• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits

• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans. Both have an option with a $0 payroll contribution

• Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Medical Plan with HSA

• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits

• Company Paid Basic Life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance

• Employee Assistance Program

• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions), and Paid Holidays

• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources

• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance

• Commuter benefits

• Employee discounts and perks program

Expected Compensation

$100000.00 - $150000.00 + benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

Tesla is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor, including veteran status and disability status, protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.

Privacy is a top priority for Tesla. We build it into our products and view it as an essential part of our business.