Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET), the leading connectivity cloud company, today announced a bold step to help shape the future leaders and builders of the Internet with its goal to hire 1,111 interns in 2026. The company will also make available powerful developer tools to students studying at United States universities at no cost for one year. By offering students valuable hands-on experience, the company aims to empower the next generation of technology leaders and innovators with the skills and knowledge needed to create the applications of the future.
As AI takes over more basic tasks, it may be harder for new graduates to land their first jobs. With fewer entry-level roles available, breaking into the workforce now requires more skills and experience than ever before. In roles most exposed to AI, such as software engineering and customer service, employment for workers aged 22 to 25 has declined by up to 13% since late 2022, according to a Stanford study. Internship recruiting platform Handshake has reported a 30% decline in tech-specific internship postings since 2023. Without hiring emerging talent, industries risk a critical shortage of experienced workers in the future.
“We have always believed times of great transition can also be moments of great opportunity—we founded Cloudflare during a financial crisis and doubled our intern numbers during the pandemic when other companies were cutting back,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. “Now, when getting a job out of school has never been harder, we’re leaning in and offering a training ground for the next generation. And while many companies see AI as a way to replace jobs, we see this next generation as a way to bring the best uses of AI into Cloudflare. There’s a lot we can learn from interns who grew up building with AI as a first class tool.”
Cloudflare is announcing a series of new initiatives designed to provide students and emerging leaders with resources to gain hands-on experience at a time of major disruption in the tech industry:
• Hiring the future of tech: Cloudflare is setting a goal to hire 1,111 interns in 2026. As a nod to the company’s public DNS resolver, 1.1.1.1, this significant increase in the internship program aims to provide hands-on experience and mentorship to a diverse group of students. Cloudflare’s “Intern-et” program offers a chance to work on projects and ship updates that directly impact millions of Internet users, from securing network infrastructure to developing cutting-edge serverless applications. Interns will be hired throughout the year in Cloudflare hubs like Austin, San Francisco and New York, USA; Bengaluru, India; Lisbon, Portugal; and London, UK where they will be able to interact in person with senior leadership and receive hands-on mentorship.
• Supporting students with access to developer tools at no upfront cost: Cloudflare is now offering all university students with a valid .edu email address in the United States one year of free access to Cloudflare Workers, the serverless platform for building, deploying, and scaling applications. Students will be able to deploy code directly on Cloudflare’s network to experiment and innovate with Cloudflare’s developer services without the upfront cost.
• Sharing office space for collaboration: Starting in January 2026, approved startups building on Cloudflare will be able to work on select days from Cloudflare offices in Austin, Lisbon, London, or San Francisco, giving builders a space to congregate and helping Cloudflare teams connect with more users. Cloudflare has experimented with intentionally designed office space and dedicated collaboration time to support early-stage teams. With this program, Cloudflare will provide them with all-day access to collaboration space and meaningful opportunities to connect with others.
• Fostering the startup ecosystem: To support the vital ecosystem of startups that are building tomorrow’s leading companies, Cloudflare has proudly provided over $370 million in credits to over 4,000 eligible startups over the last year. More than 900 of startups that have gone through the Startup Program–and raised a total of over $5 billion in funding. The Cloudflare for Startups program provides eligible startups with up to $250,000 in credits to access Cloudflare’s suite of security, performance and developer tools to help quickly scale. By saving startups valuable time and resources, the program allows them to focus on what matters most: building their product and growing their business.
To participate in these programs:
• College students interested in the 1.1.1.1 Internship program should check Cloudflare’s careers page.
• Any university, community college, or similar post-secondary student in the United States with a .edu email who certifies they are a university student can sign up for Workers for free here.
• Startups looking to work from Cloudflare can register here.
• If you’re a qualifying startup, you can apply to the Cloudflare for Startups program here.
• If you love to build on Cloudflare, and want additional tools, resources, and support, apply for a chance to participate in Cohort #7 of Workers Launchpad here.
