Meta has poached Alan Dye, Apple’s longtime head of user interface design. Dye, who joined Apple in 2006 and has led its Human Interface team since 2015, will take over as Meta’s Chief Design Officer on December 31, according to Reuters.
During nearly twenty years at Apple, Dye helped shape some of the company’s most defining products, from the Vision Pro headset to the iPhone X and Apple Watch, and oversaw sweeping redesigns of its operating systems and apps.
Apple said veteran designer Stephen Lemay will replace him.
“Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” CEO Tim Cook said.
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Who is Alan Dye?
His departure marks yet another blow to Apple’s design organisation, which has been steadily hollowed out since Jony Ive’s exit in 2019, Bloomberg reported.
Dye rose to prominence after Ive left, taking on broader responsibilities and helping shape the look and feel of Apple’s latest software and devices.
{{/usCountry}}Dye rose to prominence after Ive left, taking on broader responsibilities and helping shape the look and feel of Apple’s latest software and devices.
{{/usCountry}}He informed Apple of his decision to leave this week, a move top leadership had been bracing for.
At Meta, Dye will lead a new design studio that puts him in charge of hardware, software and AI-driven interface design, the Bloomberg report added.
He will report to CTO Andrew Bosworth, who oversees Reality Labs, the division behind Meta’s smart glasses and VR headsets.
Most recently, Dye directed the Vision Pro interface and Apple’s latest operating system overhaul, while also contributing to upcoming smart-home devices.
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What are the market reactions?
Apple’s stock dipped less than 1% after the news, with Meta also down slightly.
Dye’s exit adds to a growing list of senior departures.
COO Jeff Williams retired last month, AI chief John Giannandrea is leaving, and former hardware head Dan Riccio exited in the fall.
More turnover is expected as several top leaders, including Tim Cook, near retirement age, according to the Bloomberg report.
Dye won’t be moving alone. Billy Sorrentino, a senior design director at Apple since 2016, is also joining Meta. Existing design leaders at Meta, Josh To, Jason Rubin and Peter Bristol will now report to Dye.