Engineering at Verkada: A look into Verkada's 2025 Software Internship

Every internship is a unique experience, and we love hearing from our interns about their journey and growth during their time with us. This year, we hosted 30 software engineering interns from schools all over the U.S. and Canada. In this Q&A, two of our interns reflect on their internship search and how their experience at Verkada aligned with their goals. Mira Suthakar, a third-year student at the University of Waterloo, had completed four internships before joining Verkada and spent this term on the Access Control team. Isaiah Gamble, a junior at the Georgia Institute of Technology, joined Verkada for his third internship, working on the Cameras team. Here’s what they had to say.

What were you looking for in an internship opportunity?

Isaiah: I was mainly looking for a chance to explore new technologies I hadn’t worked with before to expand my skillset. I also wanted to explore enterprise-level Frontend and Firmware development since I already have project experience in both. This internship gave me the opportunity to gain experience with new technologies and work across the whole stack, which I’m really happy about.

Mira: My main goal was to work on large projects that make it into production and directly impact the customers’ experience, rather than just fixing small bugs, which was the case at most of my previous internships. This internship truly delivered on that goal, as my project Bulk Door Editing was slated to go live shortly after my departure, and directly addressed a customer need. 

Why did you choose to intern at Verkada?

Mira: Building on my previous answer, I interned at a Software-as-a-Service company, and while it was a valuable experience, the work didn’t feel as tangible. At previous internships, my work was all software-based, usually with hardware components I never actually saw. I had a desire to work with physical devices, and to see my software interact with them. Before deciding to join, I also spoke with a few former interns, and they all had great experiences, which definitely helped seal the deal.

Isaiah: I wanted to be somewhere that combines both hardware and software, so I could dive deeper into firmware development and learn more about how it gets deployed in real-world systems. I’ve always been interested in the boundary between software and hardware, so I’m very pleased to have worked on firmware during this internship.

What project(s) did you work on during your internship?

Isaiah: I worked on a variety of projects across the entire stack, from Frontend to Firmware. The largest project I contributed to was the Stats page for Command Connector. This page is used by Command administrators to monitor various statistics for a command connector like uptime, network usage, and storage usage. It was a really fun challenge because I had to come up with creative solutions for problems on the Frontend, Backend, and Firmware. On the Frontend, we needed to get the uptime for every camera connected to the command connector. To do this efficiently, I used a worker concurrency model to request the data concurrently, while being error-tolerant and limiting the number of concurrent requests.

In the Backend, I worked cross-functionally with another team that had a related service to add a new API endpoint to their service and improved integration tests for the new and existing endpoints. For the Firmware, I had to add network stat collection and integrate it into our stats reporting infrastructure so the API endpoint I added could propagate the data to the frontend, which would then display it in a nice graph.

Mira: My main project was Bulk Door Editing. At the time, customers could only edit one door at a time to make a change to the door’s settings, but with this new feature, customers can select and edit hundreds of doors in one go. I also worked on a feature to show short video clips in Access Control Alerts. Previously, Access Control Alerts only showed basic information, like which door was affected and what event occurred. Now, Alerts can include a GIF from any cameras attached to the door, providing users a more visual, impactful experience.

Beyond the engineering work and collaborating with your teammates, what is it like working in the Verkada office?

Mira: Honestly, it’s my favorite office I’ve visited. I’ve checked out a few of my friends’ offices in the Bay Area, but ours is by far the best. There’s always something going on, whether it’s an event or just a chance to meet new people. I remember during my internship, the company would bring in local businesses from the San Mateo community to set up demonstration tables, which was a cool way to learn about the gyms, restaurants, and other spots near the office. I also really appreciated the Slack channels for organizing things like recreational sports after work or getting a group together for board games at lunch. I also enjoyed the variety of workspaces throughout the office. I’m not a fan of sitting at my desk all day, so it’s great to have options like booths and other collaborative areas.

Isaiah: The Verkada office is fantastic, and the location in Downtown San Mateo is ideal, especially with the nearby Caltrain station. But what really makes the office stand out is the daily lunches. I look forward to lunch every day and a few of my favorite dishes are the daily assortments of unique pizzas, pork katsu, and grilled cheese. Lunch is definitely one of the highlights.

How would you describe Verkada’s engineering culture?

Mira: From my very first week, I felt supported. Everyone I met with took the time to explain things in detail, but in a way that was easy to understand. I had four onboarding experiences to help me ramp. 

1. Device Onboarding with the embedded access control team, to understand the hardware I'd be working with.

2. Software Onboarding with an access software lead, to grasp the codebase and how everything fits together.

3. Verkada University Product Proven, which was a hands-on session where we got to physically install and set up products ourselves.

4. Verkada University Software Sessions, with other developers, to learn how Verkada writes its code.

Each of these sessions served a distinct purpose, from understanding the hardware and software architecture to learning about coding standards and experiencing the product firsthand. They were all necessary because they collectively provided a holistic understanding of Verkada's products and engineering philosophy, allowing me to contribute effectively from day one. I truly believe there are no "stupid questions" at Verkada. Whenever I need help, there’s always someone willing to assist, which I really appreciate. I also love that if you want to learn about something outside of your own work, people are usually open to sharing what they’re working on. It’s a great way to learn and connect with others.

Isaiah: One of the biggest things that stood out to me is how important it is for engineers to be in tune with the customer experience. One of our first activities here was Verkada University where we got hands-on experience with our product lines just like our customers would. Understanding what the customer goes through is key to making their experience better. I also want to highlight how supportive everyone is. As an intern, I was able to ask questions freely and talk to other engineers about their work. It’s really helpful to learn about things outside of your own team, too.

What was your favorite intern event or team offsite experience?

Isaiah: My favorite event was a team dinner we had at Kaijiken in San Mateo. It was a fun evening with great food, and it gave me the chance to connect with my teammates outside of the office, which was really enjoyable.

Mira: The Access Control team has bi-weekly ice cream socials, so every other Wednesday, we head to a nearby pickleball court to enjoy ice cream or cookies while playing pickleball. For those who aren’t into pickleball, it’s been turned into a board game session instead. We’ve been playing a lot of Rummikub and Smash lately, which is a great way to unwind and bond with the team.

We're proud to provide an environment where interns don't just learn, but drive tangible impact on real products from day one. Our interns fully own their projects from start to finish, actively engaging with customer feedback, and seeing their code come to life on physical devices. Their passion and fresh perspectives are truly invaluable. A big thank-you to Isaiah, Mira, and all our interns this season; you’ve made a lasting impact! If you’re interested in exploring internship or new grad opportunities with us, check out our open positions.