Cloudflare, the connectivity cloud company, has announced a bold talent and innovation initiative with plans to hire 1,111 interns in 2026, alongside new programs aimed at supporting students and startups.
The move comes at a time when young graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to secure entry-level roles, particularly in AI-exposed fields such as software engineering and customer service. Studies show a 13% decline in employment for workers aged 22–25 since 2022, while tech-specific internship postings have dropped by 30% since 2023.
“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.”
– Matthew Prince, Co-founder and CEO, Cloudflare
Through its “Intern-et” program, Cloudflare will provide hands-on opportunities across hubs in the US, India, UK, and Portugal. Interns will work on real-world projects impacting millions of Internet users while receiving direct mentorship from senior leadership.
In addition, university students in the US will gain free one-year access to Cloudflare Workers, enabling them to experiment and innovate without upfront costs. Cloudflare will also open selected offices to startups for collaboration and continue its Cloudflare for Startups program, which has already provided over $370 million in credits to more than 4,000 startups.
The company says the initiative reflects its long-term commitment to nurturing the next generation of technology leaders and fueling Internet innovation.
