Why Rippling is doubling its 2026 internship program

Most companies treat internships like extended interviews. You show up, shadow someone, and maybe fetch coffee. We think that's a waste of everyone's time.

At Rippling, interns ship real code, own real projects, and make real impact from day one. It's the same philosophy that drives our product: give people the tools and trust to do meaningful work, and get out of their way.

That's why we're hiring over 150 interns in 2026, more than double the size of last year's program. These students are the future, and we're betting big on them.

Why we're investing in early-career talent

Our Intern Program isn't a recruiting checkbox. It's a direct funnel to full-time roles.

Interns at Rippling don't just observe; they actively contribute. They're assigned projects scoped to fit their internship timeline so they can see their work go live. They get dedicated mentors and managers who provide real support, not just occasional check-ins. And they walk away with a foundation strong enough to launch their careers.

The results speak for themselves. We have one of the highest intern-to-full-time conversion rates in the industry. Former interns have already been promoted since joining us full-time. Some are even mentoring the next cohort of interns, completing the cycle and passing on what they learned.

When we see that level of impact, the decision to double down is easy. It’s why we doubled the program from 2025's numbers.

These students are the future, and Rippling is excited to support and invest in the next generation of talent.

The internship program at Rippling: What interns actually do here

Forget busy work. Rippling interns tackle projects that matter to our customers, impacting both our product and our business. 

Every intern is paired with a mentor who's been in their shoes (sometimes literally — around 10-15% of our current mentors were interns themselves). Managers set clear goals and give honest feedback, and projects are scoped so interns can see the full lifecycle from start to finish. They get to see an idea come to fruition and make that real impact. 

Beyond day-to-day work, interns get access to sessions with our CTO, engineering VPs, and other leaders. We host panels featuring former founders and women engineering leaders. Social events help build community across teams and offices. The emphasis is on learning, not just doing (though there's plenty of both!).

This isn't a trial period. It's a launchpad.

Program details

Our 2026 internship program spans three locations: San Francisco, New York City, and Bangalore. All locations run programs between May and September, and our US offices also offer January to May sessions.

The program follows a hybrid model. Interns come into the office three days a week and work remotely the other two. We believe in-person time is critical, as it's where collaboration happens, networks form, and culture takes root — all of which are essential for any professional, but especially those in the early stages of their career. But we also know flexibility matters, hence our balanced hybrid model.

Interns earn competitive pay, get direct expert mentorship, and leave with something most programs can't offer: a clear path forward.

What past interns had to say 

Plenty of our interns have gone on to work at Rippling full-time, and they credit their internship experience with real career growth. Here’s what three past interns (and current Ripplers) had to share about their experience: 

“I interned on Rippling’s Performance Management team, working on the new 1:1s product. The experience was genuinely rewarding. It challenged me to learn new frameworks while giving me the focused guidance to help me grow as an engineer. Coming back as a grad and seeing coworkers and customers use the 1:1 features I shopped has made my impact feel really concrete.”

Sheline Sim

Software Engineer at Rippling

“As an intern on the Travel team, I was responsible for leading the Self-Serve Flight Upgrades project. This was a highly requested feature from our customers. I learned not only how to be a better engineer, but also how to think about engineering from a product-driven perspective.”

Lucas Cai

Software Engineer at Rippling

“During my internship at Rippling, I worked on building and launching semantic search for the Help Center and Google Drive to Drippling, which is still used in production today. I owned the project with guidance from a mentor, handling everything from SFDC integrations to performance optimizations, while analyzing tradeoffs, making technical decisions, and driving cross-team collaboration along the way. Having that level of ownership and seeing the work scale beyond my internship was a surreal experience I didn’t expect, but one I’m really grateful for.”

Kelly Hamamoto

Software Engineer II at Rippling

Ready to apply?

Head to our careers page and keep an eye out for internship positions. You can also learn more about the program and meet our US Intern Program Manager on our blog.

And keep in mind, we're not looking for perfect candidates. We're looking for smart, curious people ready to do hard things while they learn and grow. If that sounds like you, we'd love to meet you.