Software Engineer Intern

About Bending Spoons

At Bending Spoons, we’re striving to build one of the all-time great companies. A company that serves a huge number of customers, where team members grow to their full potential, functions at unparalleled levels of effectiveness and efficiency, creates value for shareowners at an extraordinary rate, and does so while adhering to high ethical standards.

Our strategy involves acquiring digital businesses with untapped potential and maximizing their success by leveraging our platform—expertise, technologies, data, brand, talents, and culture. We deeply integrate AI into our operations, combining human judgment with machine intelligence. Proceeds are reinvested into enhancing our platform and acquiring new businesses, blending an investor’s capital allocation with an operator’s hands-on approach.

Working at Bending Spoons offers a talented, driven, and collaborative individual an opportunity to learn, make an impact, and progress their career at an exceptionally high rate.

Internship Role

This six-month internship offers the chance to contribute to priority projects, collaborate closely with talented and experienced teammates, and build strong foundations for your growth.

Responsibilities

• Build software that matters, taking ownership from idea to production and scaling systems for millions of users.
• Amplify impact with AI, integrating advanced tools into the development workflow for faster, high-standard delivery.
• Master diverse toolkits by working across various stacks with end-to-end ownership, choosing appropriate technologies.
• Simplify relentlessly by improving architectures, pipelines, and codebases for simpler, more scalable systems.

What We Look For

• Reasoning ability: First principles thinking, sharp idea structuring, bias resistance, and attention to detail.
• Drive: Extreme ambition, initiative, effort, tenacity, and a deep sense of responsibility for one's work.
• Team spirit: Generosity, supporting the best idea, willingness to help, reliability, honesty, and transparency.
• Proficiency in English: Fluent reading, writing, and speaking skills.

What We Offer

• Incredibly talented, entrepreneurial teams working in small, result-oriented, autonomous groups.
• Exceptional opportunities for growth, with Spooners in their 20s leading products worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Competitive pay and access to equity in the company. Typical annual salaries range from £85,797 (London) to €66,065 (elsewhere in Europe) for early-career individuals, with experienced candidates earning between £112,189-£250,512 (London) or €107,837-€188,848 (elsewhere). Compensation varies by location and impact, with potential for higher offers for exceptional capability. Equity participation is available with permanent contracts. A 50% tax cut may apply for those relocating to Italy.
• Comprehensive benefits including flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning and training support, top-tier health insurance, relocation assistance, generous parental support, and a yearly retreat.
• Flexible start date and part-time options available, allowing students to begin before graduation and transition to full-time.

Commitment & Contract

Internship. Full-time.

Location

Milan (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland), London (UK) or remote in selected countries.

The Selection Process

We prioritize verifiable signals of excellence. If you believe you could excel, don't self-reject based on perceived lack of experience or an imperfect CV. Passing our screening involves challenging tests that may require several hours and cover unfamiliar problems. We extend offers only when confident in the candidate, which may lead to roles remaining open or being reposted.

We consider all applicants and provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you have applied before and were unsuccessful, we recommend waiting at least one year before reapplying.

Bending Spoons is a demanding, ambitious environment requiring significant commitment. For a quick ramp-up and success, we recommend starting in our Milan office for the first few months, regardless of long-term location, to absorb culture and build trust. We provide travel and accommodation assistance. Afterward, you can work from our Milan or London offices, or remotely from approved countries.

Key skills/competency

• Software Development
• AI Integration
• Problem Solving
• Full-Stack Ownership
• System Design
• Scalability
• Code Optimization
• Agile Methodologies
• Testing
• Documentation