Core Software Systems Intern

Core Software Systems Intern

Zoox's internship program offers hands-on experiences with state-of-the-art technology, mentorship from industry's brightest minds, and the opportunity to play a part in our success. Internships at Zoox are reserved for those who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, activities outside their course work, aptitude, curiosity, and a passion for Zoox's mission.

Core Software Systems is the central hub for all on-vehicle software development at Zoox. We build the foundational platform that the entire autonomous robotics system runs on.

As a Core Software Systems Intern, you may be matched with one of the following teams:

On the Core team, you'll be working alongside specialized teams dedicated to key areas like our robotics middleware, health monitoring and diagnostics, high-performance data logging, and sensor driver development. You will also help those teams curate and access the most interesting driving data across our fleet. Collectively, our mission is to deliver a robust, reliable, and highly performant software platform that enables the rest of the organization to safely and efficiently build the future of autonomous transportation.

On the Middleware Runtime and APIs team, you will contribute to the technical direction of our robotics platform by developing and maintaining core components. You will also support our platform-agnostic software interfaces and task schedulers, robot state machine and runtime control system, high-throughput, low-latency data transport layers, and system-wide diagnostic and health reporting mechanisms.

Requirements:

• Currently working towards a B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or advanced degree in a relevant engineering program
• Must be returning to school to continue your education upon completing this internship
• Good academic standing
• Able to commit to a 12-week internship beginning in May or June of 2026
• At least one previous industry internship, co-op, or project completed in a relevant area
• Ability to relocate to the Bay Area, California or Boston for the duration of the internship
• Interns at Zoox may not use any proprietary information they are working on as part of their thesis, any published work with their university, or to be distributed to anyone outside of Zoox

Qualifications:

• Strong proficiency in modern C++ (C++14/17)
• Proficiency in modern Python (e.g. Python3+)
• Deep knowledge about Operating Systems
• Experience with system-level software involves working with software that manages computer hardware and runs other applications, such as operating systems

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code)
• Experience with robotics frameworks/middleware (e.g., ROS/ROS2)
• Experience working with data at scale (e.g. Petabytes of data)
• Experience working with auction algorithms (e.g. Ad platforms)
• Experience working with AWS or similar cloud infrastructure
• Experience with GPU/CUDA programming

The monthly salary range for this position is $5,500 to $9,500. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level of education. Additional benefits may include medical insurance, and a housing stipend (relocation assistance will be offered based on eligibility).

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.