Software Engineer Summer Intern

Software Engineer Summer Intern at Bending Spoons

At Bending Spoons, we are dedicated to building a truly exceptional company—one that serves a vast customer base, fosters unparalleled team member growth, operates with extreme effectiveness and efficiency, and generates extraordinary value for shareowners, all while upholding high ethical standards.

Our strategy involves acquiring digital businesses with untapped potential and maximizing their success by leveraging our powerful platform. This platform encompasses our expertise, cutting-edge technologies, data insights, strong brand, exceptional talent, and unique company culture. The proceeds are then reinvested to strengthen our platform and acquire new ventures, combining an investor's focus on capital allocation with a hands-on operator's approach.

For talented, driven, and collaborative individuals, working at Bending Spoons offers an incredible opportunity to learn, make a significant impact, and accelerate your career progression at an exceptionally high rate. This is our promise to you.

This internship is an exclusive opportunity for top students from Spain to immerse themselves in a dynamic, innovative environment. Running from June to September 2026, it offers participants the chance to make a tangible impact while gaining invaluable hands-on experience and professional growth.

A Few Examples of Your Responsibilities

• Master your toolkit: By working across diverse tech stacks in a full-stack, end-to-end scope, you’ll refine your ability to choose the right tools for every challenge. From monolithic to microservices architectures, gRPC to REST APIs, Kubernetes to Docker, Python to Rust—you’ll show that true expertise isn’t about using the trendiest technologies, but about understanding their purpose to unleash their full potential.
• Build stuff that matters: Regardless of your seniority, you’ll enjoy plenty of autonomy and take full ownership of your work, from ideation to execution. You’ll have the unique opportunity to build software from the ground up and witness firsthand how your code evolves into a product used at scale.
• Simplify relentlessly: Is every component essential? Do we need this process? As a Bending Spoons engineer, your mission is to turn complexity into simplicity. Whether optimizing CI/CD pipelines, writing maintainable code, or crafting minimalist architectures, your drive to simplify will power scalable, future-proof solutions.

What We Look For

• Reasoning ability: Given the necessary knowledge, you can solve complex problems. You think from first principles, and structure your ideas sharply. You resist the influence of biases. You identify and take care of the details that matter.
• Drive: You’re extremely ambitious in everything you do—and your initiative, effort, and tenacity match the intensity of your ambition. You feel deeply responsible for your work. You hold yourself to a high—and rising—bar.
• Team spirit: You give generously and without the expectation of receiving in return. You support the best idea, not your idea. You're always happy to get your hands dirty to help your team. You’re reliable, honest, and transparent.
• Proficiency in English: You read, write, and speak proficiently in English.

What We Offer

You will work in incredibly talented, entrepreneurial teams. You’ll be part of small, result-oriented, autonomous teams alongside some of the brightest people in your field, offering an exceptional opportunity for growth. We prioritize hiring individuals of outstanding potential and placing them in ideal positions to thrive. Spooners in their 20s lead products worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and if you have what it takes, you'll soon play an essential role in major projects.

We offer competitive pay and access to company equity. Typically, individuals starting their careers receive an annual salary of £85,797 in London and €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. For candidates with considerable relevant experience, salaries range from £112,189 to £250,512 in London, and €107,837 to €188,848 elsewhere in Europe. Compensation varies by location and expected impact, growing rapidly with experience and contributions. Exceptional capabilities may lead to compensation beyond usual ranges. If offered a permanent contract, you can receive pay in company equity at a discounted price, participating in value creation. Relocating to Italy may offer a 50% tax cut.

Commitment & Contract

This is a full-time internship.

Location

Milan (Italy) or remote in selected countries.

The Selection Process

Our screening prioritizes verifiable signals of excellence, regardless of seniority. Don't self-reject if you feel you lack experience or have an “imperfect” CV; if you like the role and believe you could excel, we encourage you to apply.

If you pass screening, you'll complete one or more challenging tests, which may involve unfamiliar problems and take several hours. We maintain a high bar and extend offers only when confident we've found the right candidate, which is why positions may remain open or be reposted.

We consider all applicants and provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities—please inform us via the provided form.

Before You Apply

If you've applied previously without an offer, we recommend waiting at least one year before reapplying.

Bending Spoons is a demanding, ambitious environment with high standards for all team members. This fosters extraordinary learning, achievement, and career growth, but also requires significant commitment. We recommend spending your first few months working from our Milan office to rapidly absorb company culture and build trust with teammates, regardless of your long-term work location. We provide generous travel and accommodation assistance. Afterwards, you can work from our Milan or London offices, or remotely from approved countries, as agreed at the offer stage.

If this role excites you and you're ready to give your best, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now—we can’t wait to meet you.

Key skills/competency

• Software Engineering
• Full-stack Development
• System Architecture
• Problem Solving
• Python Programming
• Rust Programming
• Kubernetes
• Docker
• REST APIs
• gRPC