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Internship In Cryptography Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We're looking for exceptional interns who've already built real systems, contributed to open-source ... Whether your strength is in AI, systems, distributed compute, cryptography, or something unexpected ...

Internship In Cryptography information

See California salary details

$9

$17

$25

How much do internship in cryptography jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 30, 2026, the average hourly pay for internship in cryptography in California is $17.65, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.95 and $19.95 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Intern in Cryptography, and why are they important?

To succeed as an Intern in Cryptography, you need a strong foundation in mathematics, computer science, and algorithms, often demonstrated through coursework or relevant academic projects. Familiarity with programming languages like Python, C++, and cryptographic libraries or tools such as OpenSSL is typically expected. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective collaboration are standout soft skills for this position. These abilities are crucial for understanding complex cryptographic systems, contributing to secure solutions, and working effectively within research or development teams.

What is the difference between Internship In Cryptography vs Cryptanalyst?

AspectInternship In CryptographyCryptanalyst
Required CredentialsTypically pursuing or recent graduate in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related fieldsAdvanced degree or specialized training in cryptography, mathematics, or cybersecurity
Work EnvironmentInternship setting, often in tech companies, government agencies, or research labsFull-time, often in security firms, government agencies, or intelligence organizations
Industry UsageEntry-level, educational, and training-focused roles in cryptographyProfessional role focused on analyzing and breaking cryptographic systems

In summary, an Internship In Cryptography provides foundational experience and training in cryptographic principles, while a Cryptanalyst is a specialized professional role focused on analyzing and breaking cryptographic systems, often requiring advanced expertise.

What types of projects and tasks can I expect to work on during a cryptography internship?

As a cryptography intern, you'll typically assist with tasks such as analyzing cryptographic algorithms, implementing secure protocols, and reviewing code for potential vulnerabilities. Your daily work may involve collaborating with senior cryptographers, software engineers, and security teams to develop or test encryption tools and security features. Interns often contribute to research projects, write technical documentation, and may participate in code audits or penetration testing exercises. This hands-on experience provides valuable exposure to both theoretical and applied aspects of cryptography within a team-oriented environment.

What is an internship in cryptography?

An internship in cryptography is a temporary position, often for students or recent graduates, that provides hands-on experience working with encryption, data security, and information protection techniques. Interns typically assist in researching, developing, and testing cryptographic algorithms and systems under the supervision of experienced professionals. These internships help participants gain practical skills, understand real-world security challenges, and prepare for careers in cybersecurity or cryptography research.
What cities in California are hiring for Internship In Cryptography jobs? Cities in California with the most Internship In Cryptography job openings:
Infographic showing various Internship In Cryptography job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 97% Full Time, and 3% Part Time. Highlights an 90% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $36,718 per year, or $17.7 per hour.

Internship

Prime Intellect

San Francisco, CA โ€ข On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 5 days ago


Job description

Own Your Intelligence
Prime Intellect is building the open superintelligence stack: the infrastructure frontier AI labs build internally, made available to every ambitious AI team.
Our platform, Lab, unifies compute, environments, evaluations, secure sandboxes, high-performance training, and deployment into one full-stack system for post-training at frontier scale - from SFT and RL to tool use, agent workflows, and continuously improving production models. We are building open frontier AI: open-source models trained end to end for long-horizon tasks like autonomous research, and the full-stack platform our own research team uses to build them. The next generation of AI companies, enterprises, and research teams do not just need more GPUs. They need the ability to turn their own workflows, tools, data, and feedback loops into superintelligence they own.
Prime Intellect has raised $150M in total funding from Founders Fund, Radical Ventures, NVIDIA, and exceptional AI, infrastructure, and enterprise operators - including Andrej Karpathy, Dwarkesh Patel, and leaders and founders from Ramp, Perplexity, Harvey, Mercor, Zapier, Datadog, Cognition, OpenAI, Thinking Machines, Together AI, SemiAnalysis, LangChain, Browserbase, Cloudflare, Sierra, Databricks, Airbnb, OpenRouter, Standard Intelligence, Fleet, Core Auto, and more. We are looking for people who want to build at the intersection of frontier research, real infrastructure, and go-to-market for a category that does not fully exist yet.
We're looking for exceptional interns who've already built real systems, contributed to open-source, or gone deep across technical domains.
If you thrive in open-ended, high-stakes problem spaces and want to push the limits of open, distributed AI, we want to hear from you. Whether your strength is in AI, systems, distributed compute, cryptography, or something unexpected, what matters is how fast you learn, how well you execute, and how deeply you think.
Tell us what excites you about PrimeIntellect, something impressive you've built, and how you'd accelerate decentralized AGI.