Apple’s head of UI design poached by Meta

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Apple’s longtime UI design chief Alan Dye is packing his minimalist luggage and heading straight to Meta. 

Bloomberg reports that Dye, who has been shaping Apple’s interfaces since 2015, will officially join Meta as chief design officer on December 31st, because nothing says “new beginnings” like starting at Meta on New Year’s Eve.

Meta, never one to pass up an opportunity to sound like it’s inventing the future, is launching a new design studio and handing Dye the keys. 

His mandate: oversee design across hardware, software, and that magical marketing phrase of the moment, “AI integration.” 

Dye will report directly to CTO Andrew Bosworth, who presumably has big plans involving headsets, glasses, and enough virtual interfaces to fill a small moon.

Back in Cupertino, Apple isn’t exactly hitting the panic button, at least not publicly. Designer Steve Lemay will step into Dye’s role, and he comes with serious Apple lore attached. 

Tim Cook himself praised Lemay, noting he’s helped shape “every major Apple interface since 1999,” which basically means he’s been around since the days when translucent plastic was a lifestyle. 

With former COO Jeff Williams now retired, Apple’s design team reports directly to Cook, suggesting the CEO is keeping the design wheel firmly in his hands.

Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg is using the moment to unveil his vision for Meta’s new design studio, which, in typical Zuck fashion, reads like a manifesto for a future where your glasses are smarter than your laptop. 

He talks about blending design, fashion, and technology, treating intelligence as a “new design material,” and shaping products that feel “natural” and “human-centered.” 

Adding to the talent grab, Apple designer Billy Sorrentino is also defecting to Meta.

Dye’s exit marks yet another tremor in Apple’s leadership ranks. 

In recent months, AI chief John Giannandrea announced he’ll be stepping down, Jeff Williams left in November, and reports suggest chip lead Johnny Srouji might be eyeing the exit.