Meta Platforms, Inc. is a leading tech company that provides users with a wide range of products and services worldwide. Some of the popular mentions are Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. During the summer of 2022, I had the opportunity to work as a machine learning (ML) intern at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters. I worked on various projects with the Audio-Video Understanding Team, including building a system to visualize popular trends in REELS videos and creating a search indexing API for video search. In addition to the exciting work, I also enjoyed the perks of working at Meta and exploring California on the weekends. Here’s a glimpse into my summer internship experience.
My Work at Meta
During my internship, I worked on several projects with the Audio-Video Understanding Team. One of my major projects was building a system that visualizes the current popular trends in REELS videos uploaded on Facebook and Instagram. I used machine learning algorithms to analyze the videos and identify the popular trends.
I also developed a visualization dashboard that displays the trends in real-time. To make the dashboard more useful, I worked on unsupervised clustering of videos. I used NLP techniques to assign topics to the generated clusters. This made it easier for users to search for videos based on specific topics, and improved the recommendation algorithms.
One of my biggest achievements was creating a search indexing API for video search based on the topics generated. This made it possible to search for videos based on their content, rather than just their titles or descriptions. My POC was a successful product and my manager mentioned that he’d pitch it to other internal clients within the company.
Perks of Working at Meta
Working at Meta was a fantastic experience. One of the biggest perks was the free food from their on-campus cafes and restaurants. They had a wide variety of options, including vegetarian and vegan options. It was great not having to worry about cooking or finding food during the workday.
Another perk was the variety of employee events and activities. They had everything from fitness classes to game nights, movie screenings, and guest speakers. It was a great way to get to know other employees and have fun outside of work.
Exploring California
One of the best parts of my internship was exploring California on the weekends. I visited San Francisco and did many touristy things like walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, seeing the Painted Ladies’ houses, and attending Fisherman’s Wharf. I also had some amazing food in San Francisco, including seafood at the Fisherman’s Wharf and dim sum in Chinatown.
In Los Angeles, I visited the Hollywood Walk of Fame and saw the stars of some of my favorite actors and actresses. I also went to the Santa Monica Pier, rode the Ferris wheel, and visited the Getty Museum, which had exciting art and architecture.
Conclusion
Overall, my summer internship at Meta was a valuable experience that taught me a lot about machine learning and provided great networking opportunities. I also got to explore the beautiful state of California and its many attractions. I’m grateful for the opportunity and will always remember it fondly.