Software development has always moved fast and with AI that speed has increased dramatically. Every day there are opportunities to improve the app development experience, both incrementally and fundamentally. Product management is both about fixing today’s problems, and about shaping a credible and inspiring vision of the future. This internship is about exploring that future.
Take a holistic view of the current app development experience and design a compelling vision for what it should look like in the future. Use research, judgment, and technical prototyping to create an experience that inspires others and can serve as a direction for future product initiatives.
The result does not need to be production-ready; you may fake or simplify parts. The goal is to inspire, provide clarity, and set direction.
This internship is intentionally open-ended. Below is a suggested structure; you are expected to adapt or deviate where appropriate.
Experience the current state
Go through the app development process yourself.
Identify pain points, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.
Learn from users
Interview developers and use existing user insights.
Identify recurring problems and unmet needs.
Make explicit trade-offs: decide what matters most and why.
Understand the market
Analyze where app development is heading, especially with AI.
Compare market trends with JetBrains’ strengths and influence.
Decide where JetBrains should follow the market and where it should diverge.
Define a future vision
Describe what the future app development experience should look like.
Focus on workflows, interactions, and mental models, not just features.
Be highly opinionated.
Prototype the experience
Create prototypes that make the vision tangible:
Screenshots or mock flows
Figma designs
Clickable demos
Small working prototypes or experiments
Working prototypes are encouraged, but not required.
Think about execution
Outline how this vision could realistically be built.
Identify involved teams and stakeholders within JetBrains.
Clarify ownership: what is clear today, what is not.
Propose logical starting points and next steps.
A clear problem framing of current app development challenges
A future-facing vision backed by reasoning
One or more prototypes demonstrating that vision
A short implementation narrative:
Where to start
Who would be involved
What assumptions exist
Technical competence
You must be able to program, the language is flexible (Kotlin recommended).
You should be able to speak with developers and understand technical trade-offs.
Prior experience with user interviews is desired.
Mindset
You are curious, opinionated and comfortable challenging existing assumptions.
You are willing to explore how a new generation uses AI differently in development workflows.