Cruise Internship 2027–2028: The Program Moved to GM, and Here Is How to Apply
Last updated: August 2026
General Motors spent more than $10 billion on Cruise after acquiring it in 2016, then ended the robotaxi business in December 2024 and cut roughly 50% of Cruise's staff in early 2025. The standalone Cruise internship no longer exists. But the autonomy engineering did not disappear: it consolidated into GM's Autonomous Driving organization at the same Mountain View and Sunnyvale campuses, and GM was still hiring Autonomous Driving Software Engineer Interns for summer 2026 at roughly $7,800 to $9,200 per month. If you want to work on Cruise's former mission, you now apply to GM. Here is exactly how to do that for summer 2027.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | search-careers.gm.com (filter for "Autonomous Driving" + "Intern"). There is no standalone Cruise careers portal anymore; the legacy getcruise.com site is defunct as a hiring channel |
| Application window (2027–28) | No published GM 2027 dates yet. Projected from the 2026 cycle (which listed "apply by ~1 Jun 2026"), applications for summer 2027 are expected to open ~fall 2026 (Sept–Nov 2026) and fill on a rolling basis into spring 2027 |
| Rolling? | Yes, effectively rolling. GM postings state "this job may close before the stated closing date... apply as soon as possible." The SWE intern path is GM's fastest, averaging ~14 days to hire (Glassdoor) |
| Eligibility | Currently enrolled full-time in CS or a related field (Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD tracks exist), coding experience in Python or C++, able to work 40 hrs/week, and intending to return to your degree afterward |
| Duration | Not stated as a week count. Inferred from 1–30 June 2026 start dates: a standard ~10–12 week summer internship, full-time. Summer 2027 expected to mirror this (~June–August 2027) |
| Compensation | Officially $7,800 to $9,200 per month (one Bachelor's posting cites ~$8,600/mo) plus a one-time taxable stipend, paid GM holidays, and the GM vehicle discount. Community data (Levels.fyi) reports up to ~$61/hr (~$10,600/mo) with ~$2,666/mo housing for Bay Area interns, unofficial |
| Visa sponsorship | Varies by requisition. At least one AV Simulation intern posting states GM will NOT sponsor (no OPT, CPT, STEM-OPT, H-1B, TN, or J-1). Other AV intern reqs list US Student Visa as acceptable. Verify per posting before applying |
| Locations | Mountain View and Sunnyvale, CA (former Cruise / GM AV hub) plus Warren and Milford, MI. Hybrid: expected on-site up to three times per week. San Francisco is no longer the center of gravity |
| # Programs | 0 standalone Cruise programs. Under GM, the 2026 cycle showed at least 6–8 distinct Autonomous Driving / AV intern requisitions (SWE, Simulation, ML Validation, ADAS Core, Autonomous Robot) |
There is no standalone Cruise internship anymore. GM folded Cruise's robotaxi technology and talent into its Autonomous Driving organization in early 2025, so the roles now post under General Motors, based mainly at the former Cruise sites in Mountain View and Sunnyvale plus Warren and Milford, Michigan. Official intern pay runs $7,800 to $9,200 per month, hiring is rolling and fast (SWE intern averages ~14 days), and at least one AV requisition offers no visa sponsorship.
Externships are short, remote projects where you finish real work for a real company. The Wayfair AI Agent Engineering Externship and the Hydroficient IoT Cyber Defense Externship build the AI-systems and embedded/safety-critical evidence that GM's Autonomous Driving interviews reward. Explore all Externships.
What Is a Cruise Internship?
"Cruise internship" is now a legacy search term. Cruise was the self-driving startup founded in 2013 and acquired by GM in 2016; at its 2023 peak it employed about 3,800 people building a robotaxi service. In December 2024, GM halted funding for that robotaxi business, and by February 2025 it had bought out the remaining minority shareholders, cut roughly 50% of Cruise's staff, and folded the technology and remaining engineers into GM's own Autonomous Driving organization. So applying to "Cruise" today means applying to General Motors Autonomous Driving Software Engineer Intern roles. The mission shifted from driverless robotaxis toward GM's advanced driver-assistance systems (Super Cruise) and a longer-term personal-autonomous-vehicle vision, and GM moved to re-energize the effort in late 2025. The work, the simulation and validation stacks, and much of the ex-Cruise engineering core still live at Mountain View and Sunnyvale, now under the GM umbrella.
When Do Cruise Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
There is no standalone Cruise timeline to track, because there is no standalone Cruise program. You track the GM Autonomous Driving intern cycle instead. In the documented 2026 cycle, GM's AV SWE intern postings carried an "apply by ~1 Jun 2026" ceiling with June start dates, and they filled on a rolling, fast-closing basis. GM had not published firm summer-2027 dates as of August 2026, so the timeline below is projected from that 2026 cycle: applications for summer 2027 are expected to open around fall 2026 and fill through spring 2027. The build window is now: sharpen Python and C++, get exposure to robotics or simulation and validation work, and set alerts on GM careers for fall 2026.
No summer-2027 GM Autonomous Driving intern posting exists yet, and the summer-2026 cycle (apply by ~1 Jun 2026) has closed. This is the build window: strengthen Python and C++, get hands-on with robotics, simulation, or safety-critical systems, and prepare STAR anecdotes for GM's behavioral rounds.
Prep-and-watch window. Projected from the 2026 cycle, GM early-career and AV intern postings for summer 2027 are expected to begin appearing on search-careers.gm.com. Set alerts filtered for "Autonomous Driving" + "Intern" and have your resume and referrals ready.
First application window for summer 2027 (expected). GM reviews on a rolling basis and postings can close before the stated date, so apply in week one. The SWE intern pipeline is short: a HireVue behavioral, an online coding assessment, then a ~45-minute behavioral interview.
Rest of the cycle, rolling (expected). Offers extend as strong candidates clear the loop; the SWE intern path averages ~14 days end-to-end. Later applicants compete for whatever AV headcount remains after early rounds fill.
Expected internship window: ~June to August 2027, roughly 10 to 12 weeks, full-time and hybrid (on-site up to three days a week) at Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Warren, or Milford. Result-based potential for a return offer.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
There is no single fixed deadline to optimize against, and that is precisely why timing matters. GM's intern postings say plainly that a job "may close before the stated closing date" and that you are "encouraged to apply as soon as possible." The SWE intern path is GM's fastest, averaging about 14 days from application to hire, which means seats can be spoken for well before a nominal "apply by" date arrives. For the summer-2027 cycle, that translates to three moves. First, set alerts now on search-careers.gm.com filtered for "Autonomous Driving" and "Intern" so you see postings the week they appear in fall 2026. Second, have your resume, a strong set of STAR anecdotes, and any referrals ready before the window opens, because the behavioral rounds reward preparation more than they reward last-minute cramming. Third, apply using the permanent address you would relocate from, since that affects relocation benefits. Treat the months before fall 2026 as runway to build the Python, C++, and robotics or simulation evidence that makes your application easy to say yes to quickly.
Which Cruise Internship Programs Should You Target?
There are zero standalone Cruise tracks. Under GM, the 2026 cycle surfaced at least six to eight distinct Autonomous Driving and AV intern requisitions, most based at the former Cruise sites in Mountain View and Sunnyvale plus Warren and Milford, Michigan. These are the real tracks from that cycle; the summer-2027 equivalents are expected to mirror them.
| Track | Focus | Locations | Key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE Intern, Autonomous Driving (primary) | Design, development, and validation of the software powering self-driving and ADAS systems | Milford MI, Warren MI, Mountain View CA, Sunnyvale CA | Python or C++, robotics/ROS, AV/ADAS stack; Bachelor's and Master's reqs |
| SWE Intern, Autonomous Driving: Simulation Team | Build and launch real simulation features used daily by GM validation teams; production code on the common simulation platform | Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Warren | Python/C++, data pipelines, dev-productivity tooling, latency/performance-constrained code |
| SWE Intern, Machine Learning Validation | Enhance AI/ML validation frameworks; automated testing pipelines for sim-based and real-world validation using ML | Mountain View | Python, ML frameworks, validation tooling; Master's and PhD |
| SWE Intern, ADAS Core Software Team | Core software for advanced driver-assistance systems, the productionized direction of former Cruise autonomy | Milford MI | Python/C++, safety-critical embedded software |
| SWE Intern, Autonomous Robot (PhD) | Robotics and autonomy research | Mountain View | Robotics, perception, research-grade Python/C++; PhD |
See live openings at search-careers.gm.com (filter "Autonomous Driving" + "Intern"). Multiple JDs list experience with safety-critical code and AV/ADAS background as differentiators, and one early-career AV SWE req explicitly welcomes "strong skills in using AI to accelerate SW development."
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
These requirements come from the 2026-cycle GM Autonomous Driving SWE intern JDs (reqs in the jr-2025242xx family and their Vaia/Prosple mirrors). The summer-2027 wording is expected to be equivalent:
• Enrollment: Currently enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program (Bachelor's or Master's; separate PhD reqs exist) in Computer Science or a related field, with Robotics/Mechatronics and Software Engineering also accepted.
• Graduation window: The 2026 cycle asked for graduation between December 2026 and June 2027. The 2027-cycle equivalent is expected to read roughly December 2027 to August 2028.
• Coding: Experience coding in Python or C++ is required.
• Availability: Able to work full-time, 40 hours per week, for the summer term.
• Return intent: Must intend to return to your degree program after the internship; the intern posting itself is not a new-grad conversion path.
• Work authorization (critical): Varies by requisition. At least one AV Simulation intern posting states GM does not provide immigration sponsorship (no OPT, CPT, STEM-OPT, H-1B, TN, or J-1). Other AV reqs list US Citizen, Permanent Resident, or US Student Visa. Verify each posting.
Is It Risky to Join Given the Restructuring?
It is a fair question, and worth raising in interviews. GM cut roughly half of Cruise's staff after ending the robotaxi business, and counting earlier departures, roughly 80% of the pre-2024 Cruise workforce is gone, including much of the most senior AV talent; Reddit threads describe employees feeling "blindsided." So team stability and roadmap are legitimate things to ask about. That said, GM has continued to staff a real Autonomous Vehicle organization spanning simulation, ML validation, ADAS core software, and embodied AI, and it moved to re-energize the effort in late 2025. The mission is now framed around driver-assistance (Super Cruise) and personal autonomy rather than robotaxis, and GM is actively hiring interns into that org. Weigh the instability against the fact that you would be joining a well-capitalized parent company still investing in the technology.
What Skills Does Cruise Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
GM's Autonomous Driving JDs are consistent about the core: Python and C++ are the required languages, and both show up in every AV SWE posting read in full. Beyond that, the roles reward domain-adjacent depth, robotics and ROS, AV/ADAS knowledge, simulation and validation, and comfort writing safety-critical code under real latency and performance constraints. Because these are self-driving systems, the ability to reason about correctness and performance matters as much as raw coding speed. Two current GM AV JDs were read in full for the chart below (a Simulation intern posting and an early-career AV Software Systems req); standalone Cruise intern postings are no longer live, so these successor-org JDs are the best available proxy.
What Cruise looks for in interns
Skills across 2 Cruise intern & analyst job descriptions · 2 GM Autonomous Driving JDs read in full (Simulation intern + AV Software Systems early-career), 2026 cycle, projecting 2027
Method: full-text analysis of two GM Autonomous Driving job descriptions (the successor org to Cruise) across a Simulation intern role and an early-career AV Software Systems role. This is a small n = 2 sample, so counts show which skills are core versus role-specific, not statistical frequency. Eight of nine skills are stated verbatim; code-review/collaboration is inferred from "participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and design sessions."
How Is Demand for Software Engineering Interns Moving Right Now?
Software engineering intern hiring right now: summer 2026
Across US software-engineer-intern postings tracked this week · aggregate market data, all employers
July 2026 is this tracker's baseline month, so month-over-month shifts show up at the August update. The signal today is level: intern demand is steady, and the ML-heavy end of it pays more, which favors candidates positioned for AV work like GM's Autonomous Driving org.
Method: aggregate analysis of US software-engineer-intern, machine-learning-intern, and software-engineer postings via Adzuna, July 2026 baseline. The sample indexes a fraction of all US postings, so figures show direction and relative level, not total market share.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
And every skill in that chart maps to a remote Externship where you finish a real project before a role opens.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Python, C++ & shipping production software | AV SWE JDs: "experience coding in Python or C++," "design, build, and launch real features," "participate in code reviews" | Wayfair AI Agent Engineering |
| Robotics, embedded systems & safety-critical code | AV JDs: "robotics, ROS, or the AV/ADAS industry," "developing or working with safety-critical code," latency/performance constraints | Hydroficient IoT Cyber Defense |
| SQL, data pipelines, simulation & validation analytics | Simulation JD: "data pipelines/workflows," "analyzing large data sets," dashboards via Looker/Jupyter | Beats by Dre Data Analytics |
How close is the overlap? The Wayfair project is agent-engineering work that yields the build-and-ship evidence GM's AV interview probes for; the Hydroficient project puts you on embedded, safety-minded systems the way an ADAS or simulation team would; and the Beats project builds the data-to-insight story that a validation-heavy AV role wants.
What Is the Cruise Application and Interview Process Like?
GM runs one hiring process for these roles, and it is short and structured. Here is the sequence for the Autonomous Driving SWE intern path:
1. Find and apply. Go to search-careers.gm.com and filter for "Autonomous Driving" + "Intern" (starting fall 2026 for the summer-2027 cycle). Apply directly on GM careers using the permanent address you would relocate from, since it affects relocation benefits. Apply early, because postings are rolling and fast-closing.
2. HireVue behavioral assessment. A recorded, one-way behavioral video is commonly the first gate. Prepare concise STAR-format answers about teamwork, initiative, and motivation.
3. Online coding assessment. A Codility or HackerRank-style test, generally LeetCode easy-to-medium: arrays, sorting and searching, and basic data structures. Some intern tracks report a HireVue-only screen with no coding OA, so confirm per posting.
4. Behavioral interview (~45 minutes). A live conversation built on STAR anecdotes. Glassdoor reviewers note GM is "very clear about what they want." Some SWE tracks add a technical or coding conversation and a project deep-dive touching Python/C++ and the AV/simulation domain.
5. Offer. The SWE intern path averages about 14 days end-to-end (Glassdoor), among GM's fastest. Result-based potential for a return offer follows a strong internship.
Two things to note. First, interns rate GM interview difficulty about 2.8 out of 5 (where 5 is hardest) with 68% reporting a positive experience, so this is one of the more approachable AV loops, the emphasis is on clear behavioral answers plus solid fundamentals, not exotic algorithms. Second, sponsorship posture varies by requisition, so if you need a visa, confirm it on the specific posting before investing time in the loop.
What Students on Reddit Say
Three community threads give a first-hand look at both the hiring process and the post-shutdown reality, all paraphrased.
The GM internship interview centers on a roughly 45-minute behavioral conversation, so bring strong STAR anecdotes; depending on the role there may also be a HireVue video or a coding assessment beforehand.
The GM software-engineer Codility assessment is algorithm-based, leaning on efficiently sorting and searching through arrays rather than exotic problems.
After GM ended the robotaxi business it cut about half of Cruise's staff, and counting earlier departures a large majority of the pre-2024 Cruise workforce, including most senior talent, was gone.
How Do You Stand Out for a GM Autonomous Driving Internship?
Three moves, all executable now. First, get real reps in Python and C++ and, ideally, in robotics, ROS, or simulation and validation, because those are the skills every AV JD names and the ones a project deep-dive will probe. A public project that touches a self-driving stack, a simulation feature, or safety-critical embedded code is worth more than a long list of coursework. Second, prepare for the behavioral rounds deliberately: GM's process is behavioral-heavy and reviewers say the company is clear about what it wants, so rehearse three to five STAR anecdotes about ownership, ambiguity, and cross-functional communication. Third, apply the week the summer-2027 postings appear in fall 2026 and set alerts on GM careers now, because the SWE intern loop averages just 14 days and seats fill on a rolling basis. And go in informed about the restructuring, so you can ask sharp questions about the AV roadmap and show that you understand where GM's autonomy work is actually headed.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
If you are targeting Cruise's former mission, self-driving and autonomy, these are the neighbors worth putting on your list alongside GM:
- WaymoAlphabet's self-driving unit, the most established robotaxi operator, with structured software and research intern programsGuide →
- ZooxAmazon-owned autonomous-vehicle company building a purpose-built robotaxi, with engineering internships across perception and systemsGuide →
- AuroraAutonomous trucking and driver company focused on highway self-driving; check its careers site for early-career software rolesCareers site
- NuroAutonomous local-delivery vehicle startup; a smaller AV shop where interns often touch robotics and embedded systems directlyCareers site
Our tech internships summer 2027 guide maps the whole landscape, timeline by timeline.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Cruise internship?
No. There is no standalone Cruise internship anymore, and the summer-2026 GM Autonomous Driving intern cycle that replaced it (with an "apply by ~1 Jun 2026" ceiling) has already closed. Your realistic target is the summer-2027 GM AV cycle, which is expected to open around fall 2026 on search-careers.gm.com.
Does Cruise still offer internships in 2027–2028?
Not as a standalone company. GM halted Cruise's robotaxi business in December 2024 and folded it into GM (finalized February 2025). The autonomy internships now post under General Motors as Autonomous Driving Software Engineer Intern roles, based mainly at the former Cruise sites in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, plus Warren and Milford, Michigan.
What happened to Cruise?
After spending more than $10 billion since 2016 and facing a tough robotaxi market plus a 2023 safety incident, GM stopped funding Cruise's driverless-taxi business in December 2024, bought out minority shareholders, cut roughly 50% of staff, and redirected the technology into GM's driver-assistance (Super Cruise) and personal-autonomous-vehicle programs.
Where do I apply now?
At https://search-careers.gm.com/en/jobs/, filtered for "Autonomous Driving" and "Intern." There is no standalone Cruise careers portal anymore, and the legacy getcruise.com site is defunct as a hiring channel. Postings for summer 2027 are expected to open around fall 2026.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Full-time enrollment in Computer Science or a related field (Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD tracks exist), coding experience in Python or C++, ability to work 40 hours per week, and intent to return to your degree afterward. The 2026-cycle graduation window was December 2026 to June 2027; the 2027-cycle equivalent is expected to be roughly December 2027 to August 2028.
How much does the internship pay?
Officially $7,800 to $9,200 per month (one posting cites ~$8,600/mo), plus a one-time taxable stipend, paid GM holidays, and the GM vehicle discount. Community data on Levels.fyi reports up to ~$61/hr (~$10,600/mo) with ~$2,666/mo housing for Bay Area or Master's-level interns; treat those as an unofficial upper reference.
Does GM sponsor visas for these internships?
It varies by posting. At least one AV Simulation intern requisition states GM will not provide immigration sponsorship (no OPT, CPT, STEM-OPT, H-1B, TN, or J-1). Other AV intern reqs list US Student Visa holders as eligible. International students should confirm the sponsorship posture on each specific requisition before applying.
What is the interview process like?
Typically a HireVue one-way behavioral video, an online coding assessment (Codility or HackerRank, LeetCode easy-to-medium and algorithm-focused), and a roughly 45-minute behavioral interview; some SWE tracks add a technical round. Interns rate difficulty about 2.8 out of 5, and the SWE intern path averages ~14 days from application to hire.
The standalone Cruise internship is gone, but the autonomy work it pioneered is still being staffed inside GM's Autonomous Driving org, and the summer-2027 intern seats are expected to open in fall 2026. Spend the runway building proof: a remote Externship turns interest in self-driving systems into a finished project you can point at the moment GM's AV roles go live.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
