Cloudflare Commits to More Than Doubling Its 2020 Summer Intern Class
Cloudflare says it will not cancel any of its previously offered summer 2020 internships, and it is now reopening applications with the goal of doubling the size of this year's intern class. The move comes as many technology companies have pulled internship offers entirely in light of the economic fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic.
The company is continuing to hire across all teams and does not anticipate layoffs. New employees and interns will need to adapt to a virtual orientation process, which Cloudflare acknowledges is still being refined on a weekly basis as more people join remotely.
Remote-First Flexibility
Cloudflare expects that many of its internships this summer will need to be remote to comply with public health recommendations on travel and social distancing. That said, it is also committed to standing by its offers for students who would prefer a remote experience even if offices do reopen, allowing them to accommodate family care responsibilities or avoid travel during this period. Internships may be remote, in-person, or a mix of both, depending on circumstances.
Internships at Cloudflare are paid positions, and that policy remains in place for the newly created roles.
Scope and Reach of the Expanded Program
Most of the internships sit within the product, security, research, and engineering organizations, although a handful of positions are also available in the marketing and legal teams. The company has reopened its internship application process and promises to make decisions quickly so students can plan their summers accordingly. Prospective applicants can find newly posted openings on Cloudflare's careers page, or by searching for "Internship" on cloudflare.com/careers/jobs.
A Call for Peer Participation
Cloudflare acknowledges that even with a doubled intern class, it will likely receive more qualified applicants than it can accommodate. The company is urging other organizations in a position to weather the crisis to consider expanding their own intern classes, and it plans to highlight companies that have summer openings. Employers with available internship positions can contact Cloudflare at [email protected] to be pointed toward interested students.
A Personal Precedent
Cloudflare's leadership draws a direct line between the current moment and their own experience. CEO Matthew Prince and COO Michelle Zatlyn were in school when the 2008 financial crisis hit. Zatlyn had spent that summer interning at Google — the one year Google reportedly extended no full-time offers to its summer interns. Facing an uncertain post-graduation landscape in spring 2009, the two eventually started Cloudflare, a circumstance Prince credits their current resiliency to.
In light of that history, expanding the internship program felt like the right call. Prince says that the stress of that period has informed how Cloudflare has planned for downturns, and that the company sees this as a small way to ensure students who lost their anticipated internships can still have a rewarding summer experience.
