Alan Dye, who has overseen Apple’s user interface design for the past ten years, is leaving the company to take on a new role at Meta, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
This move marks a major acquisition for Meta, which is intensifying its efforts in the consumer tech space with products like smart glasses and virtual reality devices. Dye’s responsibilities at Meta will center on enhancing AI capabilities in these products, and he will report directly to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth.
Following Dye’s departure, Steve Lemay will step into his role at Apple. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Lemay has played a pivotal part in shaping the design of every major Apple interface since 1999.
Meta appears to be actively recruiting talent from rival companies to strengthen its position in the AI sector. Earlier this year, Meta also attracted researchers from OpenAI. In a lighthearted twist, it’s rumored that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally delivered homemade soup to an OpenAI staff member as part of his recruitment efforts. In response, OpenAI’s chief research officer Mark Chen reportedly returned the gesture by bringing soup to promising Meta candidates.
Shortly after news of Dye’s move became public, Zuckerberg revealed the formation of a new creative studio within Reality Labs, to be led by Dye. He will collaborate with Billy Sorrentino, another former Apple designer; Joshua To, who previously led interface design at Reality Labs; Pete Bristol, head of Meta’s industrial design team; and Jason Rubin, who oversees the metaverse design and art teams.
Zuckerberg described the studio’s mission as uniting design, fashion, and technology to shape the future of Meta’s products and experiences.
“We see intelligence as a new design material and are excited to explore what’s possible when it is plentiful, powerful, and focused on people,” Zuckerberg shared on Threads. “Our goal is to raise the profile of design at Meta by assembling a skilled team with expertise in craftsmanship, creative vision, systems thinking, and a track record of developing iconic products that seamlessly blend hardware and software.”
This story has been updated with further details about Meta’s upcoming initiatives.