Look inside

ByteDance

At ByteDance, innovation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the pulse that drives everything we do. It means pushing the boundaries of technology to solve challenges we’ve never tackled before, and empowering our teams to think big and experiment boldly. As a truly global company, we’re pioneering technologies that seamlessly connect teams across the world, enabling each of us to work faster, smarter, and more collaboratively. This work forms the very backbone of our platform, impacting millions worldwide. With a commitment to quality and user-centered design, we’re not just meeting industry standards—we’re setting them.

This commitment to innovation was front and center at our recent event, where over 50 guests with expertise in software, machine learning, and site reliability engineering joined us for a unique networking experience. The event featured an engaging fireside chat with our ByteDance tech leaders, spotlighting our distinct approach to product development and the ways we empower our teams to advance technology while fostering their own growth.

One of the key themes that emerged during the discussion was the importance of flexibility and a customer-centered approach in our tech strategy. "We prioritize experimentation and adaptability; everything our engineers do focuses on the customer," shared Xialon Wang, a member of the Global E-Commerce Buyer Experience team. She highlighted that "we also encourage our engineers to leverage open-source opportunities to contribute and engage with the community and each other to elevate our knowledge." Wang described how the diversity of perspectives from teammates of various backgrounds enriches understanding of customer habits and shopping trends across different countries. In addition to supporting the growing e-commerce industry, panelists expressed their enthusiasm about emerging technologies that potential candidates could work on in the coming year.

Jianjun Chen, a member of our engineering team, expanded on the infrastructure programs that hold the potential to redefine our interaction with technology. "The intersection of infrastructure systems and Large Language Models (LLMs) is fascinating to me," he explained, referencing AI models that perform advanced natural language processing tasks, such as generating, translating, and summarizing text. His team is pioneering advancements in computing, storage, databases, and networking infrastructure while integrating the latest AI/ML technologies and LLMs seamlessly. By focusing on solutions that are both cost-effective and highly user-friendly, Chen’s work lays a scalable foundation for innovation and growth.

As we embrace new challenges and growth opportunities in the tech landscape, Zeeshan Parkar from Edge Network Engineering highlights how effective leadership—rooted in ByteDance's Leadership Principles—is essential for building a motivated team that continues to break new ground in technology.

These principles are an integral part of the company's management philosophy and emphasize fostering a collaborative environment and building high-performing teams where flexibility, understanding, and adaptability are key for all to thrive. "When you're leading a tech team, it's important to understand that every individual has a different experience, and you need to cater your leadership toward that," Zeeshan shared. "I must understand what drives people and what innovation truly means to them. Once I grasp that well, I can ensure they succeed in their careers at ByteDance." This commitment to understanding and supporting each team member's unique journey fuels our collective success at ByteDance.

The fireside chat highlighted that success at ByteDance hinges on a steadfast commitment to innovation and the courage to embrace new challenges. By taking initiative and pushing boundaries, you can create remarkable impact in the tech world. Ready to elevate your career and shape the future of technology? Explore exciting career opportunities in tech today!

To build stronger connections among ByteDancers and with their loved ones, we recently welcomed family and friends to experience our workplaces. Open House 2024 offered an exclusive look behind the scenes at ByteDance, showcasing where we work to "Inspire Creativity and Enrich Life". This year, we brought Open House to a record 32 offices globally, including Austin, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Dublin, Jakarta, Paris, San Jose, Sydney, and many more.

This special day was a chance to share a glimpse into our daily work, showcase our innovative products and spark new ideas together. We even prepared some tasty treats, drinks, and fun photo opportunities to make the event fun and memorable. We recreated unique work experiences, including product demos and interactive activities for our guests. “It’s exciting to bring the family in and show them where I work every day," shared one of our ByteDancers from our Los Angeles office. "Plus, I love getting to show off the awesome activations my team has built. I’m very proud of their accomplishments, and getting to share them with loved ones is priceless.”

During Open House, we dove deep into the innovative and dynamic culture that powers ByteDance. Guests had the opportunity to explore our values, or "ByteStyle" as we call them, collaborative work environment and the create spirit that moves our products and services forward. “Having a tour around the office and learning a bit about the history of ByteDance was pretty inspiring," a guest in London shared. "There’s a great energy here - it’s very relaxed with positive vibes. I think how colorful the office is definitely helps!"

We also got hands-on with our cutting-edge applications and platforms that are shaping the future of digital interaction and content creation. Visitors had the chance to test drive our latest features and understand how our products are revolutionizing the way people connect and share across the globe. From editing videos with CapCut, to fighting virtual monsters with PICO, to learning new facts with Gauth, there was something for everyone to experience. After trying a PICO headset for the first time, one of our guests in Singapore shared, “It was really immersive and I didn’t expect the resolution to be such high quality. The advances VR has made over the past few years has been incredible. Do we get a friends and family discount?”

We hope Open House 2024 gave colleagues the opportunity to show their guests how they contribute to our mission every day, and the unique role they play in our success. At ByteDance, we believe inspiration is infinite and there are countless ways to turn your passions and ideas into reality. If you're interested in joining us, apply today.

ByteDance has countless early opportunities, not just for undergrads and masters students, but for those currently pursuing their PhDs. An internship at ByteDance serves as a competitive opportunity to expand your knowledge and extend your research and passion. We spoke to Sandeep and Yang about their internships at ByteDance and what lessons they took back to their graduate studies.

Tell us about yourself! What does a typical day at ByteDance look like for you?

Sandeep: I love to acquire knowledge and I am a very curious person. As part of my graduate studies, I concentrate on the human visual system. I have always been fascinated by the ability to see the world around us and interact with it. As a Mobile Multimedia Research intern, I am surrounded by gadgets such as VR headsets, different kinds of display screens, and more, which I love. I have been able to implement spatial video algorithms that will enable viewers to view videos in 3D using VR headsets and it's a novel experience. I have also worked towards quality assessment of such videos to make the best of the resources available to provide the best viewing experience.

Yang: In my PhD studies, I focus on multimodal large language models. My passion lies in the intersection of AI and human-computer interaction, particularly in developing technology that enhances daily life. I chose an internship at ByteDance because of the company's innovative approach to content creation and AI. My typical day involves handling model training data and developing large language models (LLMs) for content moderation. I prepare and process datasets, train and fine-tune LLMs, and perform ablation studies and validations to improve performance. Debugging and optimizing these models is a key part of my work, ensuring they are ready for deployment.

What do you like the most about working for ByteDance?

Sandeep: The team is filled with highly talented people. They've been very supportive and helped me throughout different stages of the project. We have a willingness to achieve the best, and never settle. The research coming out of ByteDance is incredible and is very promising for a PhD student like me. Mentors understood the work, its requirements, and helped me plan out the smallest details as well. Their deep knowledge and willingness to share helped me grow significantly.

Yang: The strong sense of teamwork and collaboration. Working in this supportive environment, where team members help each other and mentors patiently guide us, has significantly enhanced my skills and knowledge. I've learned to identify and analyze problems effectively. I have developed the ability to create detailed, actionable plans to achieve specific goals while maintaining high rigor throughout the process.

What is the biggest highlight of your internship?

Sandeep: By far the coolest project I have worked on is the spatial video project. Imagine being able to relive memories in 3D. There has always been a craze about watching movies in 3D. Now we can enable that for everyone and people can share and view events from their personal lives in 3D. With such technology, who knows what the future holds? Maybe someday people will be able to interact with their videos as well.

Yang: The most exciting project I have worked on is developing a comment moderation model that significantly reduces the workload for human moderators. This LLM can automatically review and filter user comments, ensuring compliance with community guidelines and maintaining a positive online environment. I'm particularly proud of this project because it leverages advanced AI techniques to solve a real-world problem, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The model's ability to handle a high volume of comments with precision has improved the moderation process and allowed human moderators to focus on more complex tasks. Seeing the model go live and effectively manage content moderation has been incredibly rewarding and demonstrates the practical impact of my work.

What are some things you wish more people knew about life at ByteDance?

Sandeep: Some people hear that the work culture here is very exhausting, but that is entirely opposite of what I observed. I was never pushed to overwork, and was still able to achieve the required targets. It was a very smooth ride, and everyone was willing to help. I was also provided with multiple avenues to showcase my work, such as the PhD Research Intern Expo and in larger meetings with other teams.

Yang: People sometimes think ByteDance is all about content creation on social media channels. In reality, there are diverse and exciting opportunities across various technical and non-technical fields. The work here involves cutting-edge technology, innovative problem-solving, and many other impactful projects.

Any advice for a PhD candidate interested in interning at ByteDance?

Sandeep: If you find a role suitable for your experience, then you should definitely go for it. ByteDance provides the best opportunities in terms of work culture and also helps bond with the team.

Yang: Embrace learning and be open to new skills and technologies. Ask questions and understand the broader picture to contribute effectively and achieve your goals.

At ByteDance, inspiration is infinite – there are countless ways to turn your passions and ideas into reality. If you 're interested in all the ways a career at ByteDance inspires creativity and enriches life, take the first step today!

Applications for PhD candidates interested in internships are open now.

Just like its products, employees at BytePlus are adaptable, creative, and work to achieve optimal results. From applying the latest machine learning solutions, to enriching user engagement with video streaming and company-wide messaging services, there are dozens of ways the BytePlus team gets to innovate and explore the future of B2B technology. We spoke to Yoshiyuki, Phoebe, Bojie, and David about how BytePlus – and their parent organization ByteDance – allows them to grow their careers along with their cutting-edge products in their day-to-day work.

"What I love about working at BytePlus, is the feeling that we're actually building something," says David Kwiatkowski, an Enterprise Account Executive based in London. "For example, my main focus is supporting the recommendation engine, a core AI tool that's used in several ByteDance products. We've tailored our recommendation engine for e-commerce, media, and entertainment cases. So whether we're recommending products for a super-personalized customer experience, or promoting certain videos to increase customer loyalty and engagement, we've created something that makes an actual impact day-to-day for consumers, every time they open the app." He adds that creating a bespoke experience for users has kept the team very nimble and adaptable. This is vital, as BytePlus operates globally and with a diverse group of clients.

"My favourite thing about working at BytePlus is the cultural diversity," Phoebe Yuen says. While based in Hong Kong, as a Global Partnerships Manager, she works across time zones, countries, and even continents to connect BytePlus teams working on different features and products. "We rely on local collaboration so much, since we've been expanding into different markets. There are a lot of times that we have to go across cultures to get feedback and keep things moving. We embrace a global mindset and that means everyone's values and everyone's voices are respected."

Bojie Sun, a Lead Solutions Architect based in Singapore, agrees. "The only way to ensure that our products are the best of the best is by iterating faster than clients' other options, and constantly staying on top of what is needed on a micro and macro level. You can't do that without communication; actually sitting down, talking about things in detail." He highlights BytePlus' difference from other companies, noting the collaborative nature of the company allows him to talk and work with people on other teams every day, rather than be siloed in his department. This helps everyone to move forward together, faster and with a better understanding of objectives and goals.

This way of working, where no one's ideas are hindered by department or tenure, has proven to be effective. "I have regular conversations with senior folks at some of the businesses we serve, and they tell us a product that we've created could not have been developed internally at their own company," says Yoshiyuki Kojima, a Sales Manager in Japan. "BytePlus likes to go after every opportunity, and it shows in the results of our truly unique and unparalleled products."

Teammates at BytePlus like working with people who are eager to learn and step outside their comfort zone, because there are constant opportunities to expand your knowledge and scope of work. "At my previous company, I was focused on just one market," says Yuen. "After joining BytePlus, I got to travel all around the world, supporting more markets than I ever had before. It was a challenge at first, but the company will give you the chance to tackle challenges and enhance your skill set. I was really grateful for management's trust giving me a larger, more global platform to learn, grow, and shine."

This ability to stay adaptable and hit the ground running is vital for employee growth, as well as project success.

"Often we start at zero. All there is is the ambition to do something and an entrepreneurial mindset," adds Kwiatkowski. He went on to highlight Cloud Communications, a communications tool that was developed, launched, and gained revenue in only a year and a half, as an example. "But we aim for the highest and achieve a lot in a short period of time."
As BytePlus grows, roles in many different regions and functions are open. If you're ambitious, creative and enjoy making a global impact, explore them here.

BytePlus, a ByteDance company, empowers businesses with advanced technologies, including machine learning, video, infrastructure, data, public cloud suites, and more. These products have been adopted by companies all over the world to enhance user experiences. And, with hiring on the rise, they're just getting started.

Siddharth Somasundaran, Charlie Sung, and Tracy Yang, who all lead BytePlus teams in Asia and Europe, share what excites them about the future of BytePlus, the goals of leadership to help enterprises grow with the support of our products, and what success within the company looks like to them.

"The kind of technology we bring to market is cutting edge," says Somasundaran, based in Singapore. "It's advanced, with quality and functionality that's been tried and tested."

BytePlus stands out because of a willingness to learn from our customers and take actions on these learnings swiftly. This translates to continuous improvement of our products and services that are used by customers and partners today.

In 2021, the team launched Personalization, AR, and Data Intelligence services. In the three years since, a wide range of other products launched to innovate customer experiences and improve business success for clients. Sung, also of Singapore, says that value-add to our customers’ business by applying these technologies globally is the most exciting part of working at BytePlus.

"Working with some of the best R&D engineers, solution architects and other intelligent minds in the world to make the impossible possible is one the most rewarding journey I’ve found at BytePlus," he says. "Being an engineer myself, I'm very passionate about the technology solutions that we’re coming up with for different industries. So, I can tell you first-hand that the strides BytePlus has made are very notable, and not something typically experienced in any other kind of company."

"When I think of what makes BytePlus unique, it's that there's a working culture where the best idea wins," says Yang, who is based out of London. "Whomever we bring to the table, whomever drives the results, they get recognized, they get rewarded, and they have very good opportunities to take on more responsibilities and to grow their scope."

Teammates also highlight the opportunities for growth; both for the company and its employees. "In any B2B business, there has to be a long-term vision, because building a foundational relationship with businesses takes time," Somasundaran says. "We have a great opportunity to secure engagements in Asia and Europe, as well as the Americas and Australia. Speaking specifically about the future of today's prominent tech, we have developed capabilities in the cloud space to be a formidable player alongside Google, Amazon, and Microsoft going forward."

There are many paths to reaching that goal," adds Yang. "Going forward, we will further expand to many more verticals, including not only digital native verticals such as eCommerce, content, media, gaming but also the types of verticals that require digital transformation." This will involve expanding BytePlus' scope in improving workplaces' ways of working by using digital tools to develop new business models. She also cites her favorite ByteStyle, or company value, Always Day 1, as an inspiration in her work expanding BytePlus and its power to assist businesses around the world. "We approach every goal with fresh eyes, trying to understand our products better, how to improve them, and how best to reach the right audiences."

Interested in pursuing a career with BytePlus? Make sure to be curious, collaborative, and resilient. "One has to be inquisitive enough to learn, deep dive into topics and go into the depth of things to understand what, how, why," Somasundaran says. "One should be prepared to approach challenges as a team, and stay agile when plans morph."

Whether a client needs a recommendation model for their website, or over 70,000 visual effect options for their streaming, BytePlus has the technology, and the plan to grow. Explore open positions today.

Across ByteDance, we never stop aiming for the highest. We believe that great ideas can come from anywhere – be it your first day as an intern on the PICO virtual reality team, or your third year managing a design team for the Lemon8 social platform, and anywhere in between. The most vital part of making an impact here is having the courage to think outside the box.

"Our values, more than any other place I've worked, are more than just words on a website," says Mark Dembitz, who works across multiple disciplines on Lark, ByteDance's all-in-one collaboration tool. "We take every opportunity to reinforce them. We really do aim for the highest, and hold ourselves accountable to those ambitious goals through performance reviews and town halls."

As a former competitive athlete in fencing, Dembitz was drawn to ByteDance due to the company's commitment to "Be Courageous and Aim for The Highest", a prominent "ByteStyle", or company value, he quoted.

"The secret to innovation at ByteDance is that it is a culture that supports risktaking and iteration: everyone is encouraged to come up with ideas and try them out. If they work, we double down. If they don't, we move on and don't focus on failure, but celebrate the fact that we tested and tried something really new."

Being able to work fast and innovate is essential, so Dembitz is proud of his team for creating the tools that make Lark intuitive for chatting, scheduling meetings, tracking tasks, and so much more. He believes these successes are only possible through our values. "Being candid and clear is critical," he says. "It's only by working together and respectfully challenging each other to do more that we achieve greatness. We're not here to do something average – we want to create the exceptional!"

ByteDance teams achieve best-in-industry results by listening to our users to evaluate features and catch issues across products. High levels of communication and collaboration across teams allow us to meet the needs of the industry. Again pulling examples from Lark, Dembitz explains that the product's bi-weekly releases are "always packed with new features and fixes, some small, some big. It's what has helped us iterate this product and in a few short years, create the absolute best collaboration tool that exists."

If you're interested in a career at Lark or one of ByteDance's other innovative products, don't hesitate to apply! There are limitless opportunities to do great work and enrich the lives of thousands of users. Explore open positions today.

Across the world, students and recent graduates are beginning their careers with ByteDance Internships. There are diverse opportunities working on many of ByteDance's products – from the collaboration tool Lark, to the social media app Lemon8, to the vital work of optimizing our platforms. We spoke to interns from Bangkok, San Francisco, and Singapore to hear what they learned – and what they loved – about their summers as ByteDancers.

What's your role? Why did you choose an internship at ByteDance?

Eashan: I'm a Solutions Engineer Intern at Lark-- ByteDance's Enterprise Collaboration platform. I chose ByteDance not only because of the brilliant and innovative minds that spearhead the company's efforts, but also because of the inclusive and positive culture that the company has fostered. It makes everyone feel welcome and motivated to do their best.

Joey: I'm a Software Engineer Intern on the Performance Optimization team for the Data Platform. We work on the database engine that drives the TikTok algorithm you know and love! I applied for a ByteDance internship for two main reasons. First, I really enjoy learning and implementing efficient C++ code. My manager and mentors are meticulous and would show me why one method is less efficient than another. Second, I have seen a lot of college seniors grow to be highly competent after their internship with ByteDance, so I thought it'd be a great place to learn and develop my skills. And it is!

Nene: I work on the Creator Partnership-Global Product team for Lemon8. I chose to intern at Bytedance for several reasons. First, Bytedance is known for its innovative approach and fast-paced growth, making it an exciting place to work. Second, I am fascinated by the company’s ability to change how people engage with content through platforms like Lark and Lemon8. I wanted to be part of a team that pushes boundaries and creates impactful technology. Third, Bytedance values diversity and inclusivity, which I believe enhances collaboration and personal growth.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Eashan: Primarily, I help Lark grow in North America. I work with the GTM (Go To Market) team to build custom, tailored solutions to solve different customers' use cases on Lark.

Joey: I implement a number of MySQL functions for our database to allow users to gain more insights from their data. I also enhance the security and stability of our system through solving bugs in our code. Since we are focused on delivering a low latency database, I take even more time after coding it to optimize its efficiency. I'd then send it to my manager and mentors for a review and they'd usually leave comments or suggestions on how to further improve it. This is what I enjoy most in my work, because I am always learning new things and how to be a better engineer.

Nene: I review creator content and give feedback, supporting the creator partnership team to identify, recruit, and partner with diversified creators. Additionally, I work on maintaining a database with up to date creator partnership information and do regular data analysis of creator content performance.

Tell us about a highlight of your summer internship at ByteDance.

Eashan: One memorable highlight was the mid-internship All Intern event in San Jose where we played a lot of games, drank boba, and competed for various prizes! The games were super fun – we played things like Red Light Green Light and had a Rock Paper Scissors tournament. Also, I got to meet Shou – TikTok's CEO! He was so nice and had such a great talk with all of us.

Joey: My main highlight was the General Availability (GA) launch of our product on June 30th, because there was so much excitement building up until then. By then, I had deployed over seventy functions and I felt really relieved when everything went smoothly.

What's something valuable you've learned so far during your internship?

Eashan: That you can learn so much from just talking to others, especially those that are around you. Although I spend a lot of time researching online, the knowledge that the people around me have accumulated in their lives can be so much more helpful and applicable to many cases.

Joey: I have learned an innumerable amount of lessons so far, but my top two are 1) be purposeful when you write code and 2) be confident in your work by delivering your best every time. I resonate with this quote a lot: "How you do anything is how you do everything".

Nene: If I were to highlight one particular lesson, it would be the importance of effective collaboration and communication. Working at Bytedance has exposed me to a diverse group of talented individuals who bring a wide range of skills and perspectives to the table. I learned that successful projects and initiatives require more than just individual contributions; they necessitate strong teamwork and open lines of communication. These experiences will undoubtedly stay with me throughout my career as I continue to work on diverse teams and tackle complex challenges.

How did your internship experience at ByteDance help build your skillsets?

Eashan: Before this internship, I had only had software engineering experience, but working with the Lark team gave me the experience of working at a startup, while being part of a much larger company. My ability to converse professionally has improved drastically over the course of this internship. I often engage with restaurant owners and other founders to gauge whether they may be interested in a product like Lark, which is something I had never done in a pure software engineering role. I loved working with the Lark team because I was able to develop so much as a professional, while also maintaining a fundamental understanding of Lark technology.

Joey: Before I came to ByteDance, I never felt competent and confident in my technical skills. I had barely written any code that was pushed to a real production. I struggled with feelings of imposter syndrome because everyone else around me seemed so good. In the last few months I started to feel confident in my abilities. I started out solving bugs for two months and this helped me a lot because my C++ knowledge truly deepened. Gradually, I was entrusted with more and more important features to implement and I always tried to deliver them as best as I could. This coupled with all of the feedback and suggestions I got led me to gain confidence in myself and my contributions.

Nene: The experience that helped me build my skillsets is learning how to maintain a database with up to date creator partnership information and doing regular data analysis of creator content performance. This work taught me how to use data to analyze what problems the app is experiencing and how data can be used to reflect user behavior.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in a ByteDance internship?

Eashan: My advice is to speak to and network with as many people as possible! Often, with the connections I've made, I've been able to improve the work I'm doing while also gaining insight into their careers and perspectives. This helped me direct my career and learning goals in a way where I truly see myself enjoying my work and being able to make a meaningful impact.

Joey: My biggest advice is to prepare extensively for your interviews because they can get really technical and challenging. The thing that everyone here cares about most is technical competency, so you should be prepared! If you are doing a Software Engineer role too, I'd advise you to practice with Data Structure and Algorithms, Operating Systems and Computer Networks. When you're an intern, constantly seek opportunities to learn from your colleagues because they are really good at what they do and there is a multitude of learnings you can get from them.

Nene: Be proactive and eager to learn! ByteDance is a fast-paced and innovative company, so it’s important to demonstrate your enthusiasm and willingness to take on new challenges. Be curious, ask questions, and seize opportunities to expand your knowledge and skill set. Be open to collaboration. ByteDance values teamwork and diversity, so make an effort to connect and build relationships with your fellow interns and colleagues. Finally, don’t be afraid to share your ideas and take on responsibilities beyond your assigned role. Your enthusiasm and drive will be noticed and appreciated. Good luck!

At ByteDance, inspiration is infinite – there are countless ways to turn your passions and ideas into reality. If you're interested in all the ways a career at ByteDance inspires creativity and enriches life, take the first step today!

Applications for internships are open now.

Hi everyone! My name's Vivek, and I'm a Software Engineer on ByteDance's Data Platform team in Singapore. I studied Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and graduated in 2020 before joining ByteDance full time. I get a ton of questions about my job, so I'd like to share my experience. I hope this can help you find the right company for you!

My Team -- Culture, Dynamics, and Learning from Others

The Data Platform team, like most teams at ByteDance, is quite diverse. We come from many different places around the world, including Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, France, China, and (of course) Singapore. We also have a wide range of backgrounds and skill sets; for example, one of my teammates previously wrote code for the Internet of Things, and another has experience with infrastructure.

Collaborating with such a diverse group, I love that working at Bytedance challenges me on a daily basis. I learn something new every day that adds to my personal experience building large and complex apps. Having worked at ByteDance for almost a year, I now find myself thinking more intuitively about how writing a piece of code will affect the performance and code quality of our larger project, as well as the work of other developers on the team.

Our team culture is based on open and smooth communication -- there's very little miscommunication and "office politics" to get in the way of our productivity. Although language was sometimes a barrier when I first started (which comes with a multicultural environment that involves colleagues around the world), my manager slowly introduced a system where we speak more English. We now have a buddy system where we're paired with non-English speakers for practice each week. These kinds of initiatives by ByteDance leaders help foster better collaboration across cultures and geographies.

My Work in Technology

I first learned about ByteDance at an NUS Career Fair and was immediately impressed by the quality of its products, which were so user-friendly and smooth. When I joined the company, I was excited to look under the hood and understand what we do as engineers to make the user experience so impressive.

In my current role, I mainly focus on developing features for an Online Analytics Processing (OLAP) Database, which is a data warehouse developed and based in Singapore that allows users to store data for analysis. We use OLAP internally, but we're also promoting the technology externally as one of our tech products. Our goal is to create a database that is not only efficient to interact with (which is essential in analytics), but also flexible enough for users to pull the data they want in any format and connect with different big data applications (Hive, Spark, etc.) for optimal data analytics processing. Since the OLAP project is big and divided among several sub teams, we often do pair programming and use GitLab to collaborate so that our code is robust.

In addition to this major project, I do a lot of self-study in a typical day at work, including learning more about C++. I was mostly familiar with higher level programming languages in the past, but now that I'm using C++, I need to dive deeper so that I can use it to code faster. I also spend time learning about system design in order to write code that ensures the data warehouse can handle large workloads, since it's a big system with many microservices working together.

While I wasn't that interested in the database field before joining ByteDance, I've become increasingly fascinated by it after seeing the incredible technical expertise involved. Given its technical rigor and potential for impact, the field will undoubtedly attract more engineers in the future. For companies like ours, whose data scientists rely on pulling data efficiently for things like machine learning, a project like OLAP Database has a real impact on our products!

Opportunities for Growth

One challenge that crops up often in my work is adapting to new domains in software development. When developing software, the development principles don't change much, but the domains for which you develop the software often do. For instance, you might be creating an app for the HR department, and then some time later you might be working on building an analytics database. When the domain changes to one you're not as familiar with, it's difficult to start writing code right away.

To overcome this challenge, I research and read as much as I can about the domain I'm working with each day. This small time investment compounds over time and allows me to grow comfortable with coding in any new domain I come across. I also lean on the many talented engineers around me who are willing to go the extra mile to support me and create amazing software. They're easy to work with and amazing to learn from, which makes ByteDance the ideal place for a fresh grad like myself!

Career growth at ByteDance is also well set up and easy to understand. With frequent check-ins and performance reviews, my leader makes it clear what I can improve and the tangible steps I can take to do so. The work environment isn't about internal competition, but about reaching the ambitious goals you set for yourself, which has created space for me to focus on my growth as an engineer.

Joining the Team

If you're interested in joining our team at ByteDance, here are three pieces of advice that I want to share:

- Work on side projects or open source projects to beef up your CV and coding skills (writing clean code).

- Research and practice Design of Data Structures and Algorithms. Also spend time on learning about the Design of Scalable Applications (i.e., System Design).

- Practice your communication skills by writing clear and concise documentation for software. The ability to communicate your thought process clearly and systematically will not only help you during interviews, but also strengthen your collaboration with other engineers.

Coding is a continuous learning process, and ByteDance is a great place for engineers to develop their skill sets. It's rare to be able to work on such challenging and high-impact projects with talented teammates across the globe. I wish you luck in your job search, and make sure to follow ByteDance on LinkedIn and visit our jobs site to stay up to date with our latest openings!

A great career in tech begins with a single step – or internship! Over the past few years, ByteDance has welcomed hundreds of talented interns, and is always on the lookout for more. We spoke with Verren Pramita and Jiaxiang Yu to learn more about their experiences interning at the Singapore office, and what's great about interning with ByteDance.

Why did you choose an internship at ByteDance? What is your role here?

Verren: My friends who already worked at ByteDance always said good things about the internship program. I also witnessed more and more talented engineers going to ByteDance over the years, and within a short period of time it became one of the most popular and desirable tech companies to work for. I interned at ByteDance as Big Data Engineer because of all the learning opportunities it offers.

Jiaxiang: I am the Backend Engineer Intern for Data Platform. I chose the internship because of my interest in distributed systems and databases. Moreover, my team offered a great environment to explore, learn and apply my knowledge to real projects.

Tell us about the work you do.

Verren: As a Big Data Engineer Intern, I help develop and maintain big data infrastructure and warehouses. My main responsibility is to ensure that data flows in a timely and reliable manner to the business users.

Jiaxiang: My team is building a database management system for online analytical processing. When the size of the data being analyzed is huge, it can take a very long time. This is where we can come in – helping enterprises speed up their analysis and decision-making process. My primary work is designing and implementing features that meet the needs of the clients, as well as improving their user experience.

What do you enjoy most in your work?

Verren: It is not boring! Different projects have different requirements, and planning a unique technical design for them can be fun.

Jiaxiang: The most enjoyable part is the reviews. It is common to have different ideas or discuss various options. Members of the team are encouraged to discuss and share their views on what design we should proceed with. During this process, I learned about the importance of articulation. It's not only important to be brave enough to challenge a proposal, but to explain with logic and evidence why an alternative is better.

What's the most valuable thing you've learned during your time as a ByteDance intern?

Verren: Other than the necessary technical skills, being involved in the research of pipeline development has given me the ability to make sense of the tech tools I've used in my previous internships. For example, I've learned why companies in certain industries use certain tools over alternatives. It definitely gives me knowledge beyond what I learned in school.

Jiaxiang: To seek truth and be pragmatic, which is one of ByteDance's core values. I was really fortunate to meet my mentor and learn that I should try to get to the bottom of an issue, rather than having a temporary fix that can hide the problem. Where possible, it is important to dive deep into the relevant information. During my bootcamp project, for example, I had a question about Redis i/o multiplexing. Instead of simply explaining the mechanism on a high level, my mentor walked me through the actual code implementation and deepened my understanding. It was a great lesson and I really appreciated it.

What are your favorite things about the culture here?

Verren: The people I work with here are probably the smartest people I have ever met! At the same time, they are so humble that I don't feel embarrassed or nervous about asking questions. I like how my teammates always strive for an environment that encourages learning.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in interning at ByteDance?

Jiaxiang: Apply for a six-month internship if there is an opportunity, since three months is too short! Kidding. If you have any questions about your application, the friendly campus recruitment team is available to assist. You can also approach your friends, seniors or your connections on LinkedIn and ask what they do and how they feel about working at ByteDance.

If you're eager to challenge yourself and make your inspiration infinite, a ByteDance internship is for you! Apply to openings on our career site and make sure to follow ByteDance on LinkedIn for the latest updates.