Software Engineer Intern (First Play) – Summer 2026 (Mountain View, CA)

This internship role will be based in Mountain View California. 

At LinkedIn our approach to flexible work is centered on trust andoptimizedfor culture connection clarity and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid meaning it will be performed both from home and from a LinkedIn office on select days asdeterminedby the business needs of the team. 

First Play is LinkedIns software engineering internship designed to develop the next generation of AI-native engineers. The program is designed for students earlier in their computer science journey (expected graduation date of December 2027 or later) who want hands-on experience mentorship and growth opportunities working in the tech industry. Unlike our traditional Software Engineering internship First Play is tailored for those building foundational skills required to thrive in an AI-native engineering environment. Throughout the program interns are paired with a dedicated mentor and manager who provide guidance feedback and support to help them learn and grow as engineers. 

Candidates must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program with an expected graduation date of December 2027 or later. 

The First Play internship is a 12-week program designed to provide hands-on learning and mentorship. The 2026 session will run from May 26 2026 August 14 2026. 

Responsibilities: 

• Hands-on Engineering: Contribute to meaningful scoped projects that strengthen your coding debugging and problem-solving skills. Youll apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges - writing clean efficient code testing and iterating on features and learning professional engineering practices such as version control code reviews and continuous integration 

• Build Community: Participate in First Play cohort events learning experiences and LinkedIns broader intern programming designed to build community increase skills and showcase LinkedIns culture 

• Experience Growth: Explore how AI and emerging technologies are shaping software development and learn how engineering teams collaborate to create economic opportunity for the global workforce 

Qualifications :

Basic Qualifications 

• Currently pursuing a B.A/B.S degree in Computer Science or related technical field 

• Foundational programming experience in at least one of the following: Python Java C/C C# Rust or a similar object-oriented programming language 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Exposure to software development through class projects hackathons or personal coding projects 

• Experience experimenting with AI tools and frameworks to enhance software development and productivity 

• Understanding of foundational data structures and basic algorithms 

• Demonstrated AI curiosity and growth mindset with a desire to deepen fluency with AI tools and emerging technologies 

• Understanding of software engineering fundamentals such as code reviews collaboration and iterative development in a team environment 

Suggested Skills: 
Programming Foundations 
Technical Problem-Solving 
AI Fluency 

As part of the application process for this role afteran initialqualifications review candidatesare required tosuccessfully complete theHackerRankonline code challenge. Instructions for completion of the code challenge will be sent to you if your application is selected to move forward in the process. 

LinkedIn is committed to fair andequitablecompensation practices. 
 
The pay range for this role is $45 to $55. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate including but not limited to skill set depth of experience certifications and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. 
 
The total compensation package for this position may also includeannualperformance bonus stockbenefitsand/or otherapplicable incentivecompensation plans. For more information visit Information :

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No

Employment Type :

Full-time