Mark Zuckerberg’s post as Meta poaches Apple’s head of UI design, Alan Dye

Apple’s longtime head of user interface design, Alan Dye, is leaving the company to join Meta. Dye has spent nearly 20 years at Apple, having served as chief of the UI design team since 2015. Apple confirmed Dye’s departure on Wednesday, with CEO Tim Cook saying that veteran designer Stephen Lemay will succeed him.

Alan Dye is all set to join Meta on December 31. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a social media post said that Dye will lead a new creative studio within Meta that brings together design, fashion and technology. He will report to Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth.

Mark Zuckerberg’s post on Alan Dye

Mark Zuckerberg announced Dye’s appointment in a post shared Wednesday on the social media platform Threads — Meta’s answer to X.

“Today we’re establishing a new creative studio in Reality Labs led by Alan Dye, who has spent nearly 20 years leading design at Apple,” he said.

Zuckerberg explained that the new studio would bring together “design, fashion, and technology”. “We plan to elevate design within Meta,” wrote Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg said that with the aim of elevating design within Meta, the company is pulling together “a talented group with a combination of craft, creative vision, systems thinking, and deep experience building iconic products that bridge hardware and software”.

Although he did not specify what products Dye will work on, he did mention Meta glasses in his statement.

“We’re entering a new era where AI glasses and other devices will change how we connect with technology and each other,” said Zuckerberg. “With this new studio, we’re focused on making every interaction thoughtful, intuitive, and built to serve people.”

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