Meta Platforms has hired Alan Dye, Apple’s long-serving Vice President of Human Interface Design, in a significant move announced on Wednesday. Dye is set to begin his new role as Chief Design Officer at Meta on December 31, 2025, reporting directly to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth. It’s a shift that feels quite aligned with Meta’s growing push into consumer hardware and artificial intelligence. Dye will head a newly created design studio that aims to pull together hardware, software, and AI across Meta’s expanding product lineup, including the Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses, which are becoming more central to the company’s long-term plans.
Key Takeaways
- Alan Dye will join Meta as Chief Design Officer on December 31, 2025.
- Dye will head a new studio focused on hardware, software, and AI integration.
- Apple veteran Stephen Lemay will replace Dye as the head of Human Interface Design.
- Senior Apple Design Director Billy Sorrentino is also leaving to join Meta.
- Dye recently oversaw the design of the Apple Vision Pro and the iOS 26 “Liquid Glass” interface.
There’s an interesting shift happening here, and perhaps it’s not entirely surprising when you look at the trajectory of Meta’s ambitions. Alan Dye’s move places him squarely at the center of Meta’s attempt to build consumer devices that rely increasingly on advanced AI. At Apple, Dye played a major role shaping the user interface across many of the company’s most iconic products, from the iPhone and Apple Watch to the recently introduced Vision Pro. Now, in his new position at Meta, his responsibilities broaden even further as he takes on oversight of visual and interactive design within Reality Labs, the division behind Meta’s virtual and augmented reality initiatives.
This moment also reflects Meta’s ongoing desire to refine and mature the experience of its wearable technology. The company has been vocal about wanting its smart glasses and headsets to feel more natural, almost seamless, for everyday use. Adding to this shift is the arrival of Billy Sorrentino, another senior figure from Apple’s design ranks, who will join Dye at Meta. It does feel like Meta is building a design bench that mirrors some of Apple’s long-standing strengths.
Meanwhile, Apple has been quick to respond and avoid a prolonged leadership gap. The company has appointed Stephen Lemay as the new head of Human Interface Design. Lemay, who has been with Apple since 1999, brings a deep and almost encyclopedic understanding of the company’s design history. He has had a hand in shaping the interface of nearly every major product Apple has released in the past quarter century.
Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a statement expressing strong confidence in Lemay’s leadership. He emphasized that Lemay has long set exceptionally high standards for Apple’s design evolution and that his experience will help maintain continuity during this transition. Given the sheer scale of Apple’s software ecosystem, continuity does seem particularly important here.
These executive changes are unfolding during a period of broader shifts within Apple’s leadership structure. Dye’s departure follows the retirement of Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, and it comes just ahead of AI Chief John Giannandrea’s planned exit in the spring of 2026. Taken together, they paint a picture of a company moving into a new phase, though perhaps not without some uncertainty.
During his tenure, Dye led the development of Apple’s software design language, including the introduction of the “Liquid Glass” aesthetic in iOS 26 earlier this year. That design, which brought a new sense of visual depth and subtle refraction to the interface, sparked mixed reactions. Some users appreciated the refreshed feel, while others felt it introduced a bit more complexity than necessary. Still, it marked a noticeable departure from the flat design that dominated much of the previous decade.
Looking at the broader landscape, the strategic implications are fairly clear. For Meta, hiring Dye underscores its commitment to building hardware that can stand alongside its social platforms. The company is betting that a strong design identity will help its AI-driven wearables break through to mainstream consumers. For Apple, losing a top design executive to a competitor serves as a reminder of the increasingly competitive environment for talent in Silicon Valley, especially as companies race to define what the next generation of personal computing might look like.
In the end, these moves suggest a moment of reshuffling that may influence how both companies shape the future of their devices. And perhaps, as these design philosophies diverge or intersect in new ways, we’ll get a clearer sense of where consumer technology is heading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is Alan Dye?
A. Alan Dye was the Vice President of Human Interface Design at Apple. He joined Apple in 2006 and led the team responsible for the look and feel of the software on the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. He is now the Chief Design Officer at Meta.
Q. Who is replacing Alan Dye at Apple?
A. Stephen Lemay is replacing Alan Dye. Lemay has been a designer at Apple since 1999 and has worked on the interface design of almost every major Apple product for the last 26 years.
Q. What will Alan Dye do at Meta?
A. At Meta, Dye will lead a new design studio. He will oversee the design of hardware, software, and AI integration for products like the Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Q. What is the “Liquid Glass” design mentioned in the report?
A. “Liquid Glass” is the name of the design language introduced by Apple in the iOS 26 update in 2025. It features visual elements that mimic the refractive properties of glass to create depth on the screen.
Q. Why is this move considered significant?
A. This move is significant because Alan Dye was a top executive at Apple who shaped the user experience for millions of people. His move to Meta, a direct rival in the wearable tech space, indicates Meta’s serious intent to compete with Apple on design quality.
