The Architect of Apple’s New Look Has Just Defected to Meta
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In what’s being called a “major coup,” Apple has just lost its high-profile design executive, Alan Dye, to Meta.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the move comes as Meta pushes into AI-equipped consumer devices that could go beyond its smart glasses and VR headsets.
Dye, who many Apple fans may recognize as the face of the new iOS 26 Liquid Glass design, served as the head of Apple’s user interface design team since 2015. He initially reported to Apple’s erstwhile Chief Design Officer, Jony Ive, but when Ive left Apple in 2019, the design team fractured into hardware and software divisions, reporting to operations chief Jeff Williams. Dye handled the software side of things in his position as VP of Human Interface Design, while Evans Hankey continued as VP of Industrial Design.
Neither was explicitly promoted out of those roles, leaving something of a void in what had been a more independent design suite under Ive. Sources suggested this created friction, as Ive’s deputies were now reporting to an operations boss focused on things that could produce immediate results rather than letting them explore new concepts.
So, it wasn’t too surprising when Apple began hemorrhaging industrial designers. Hankey left in 2023, followed by several other top designers, and in early 2024, Apple’s longest-serving industrial designer, Bart Andre, announced his retirement from the company. That was not only the final chapter in the exodus of Apple’s hardware design team, but the end of an era. Andre had been at the company longer than Tim Cook, helping design everything from the ill-fated Newton and colorful iMac G3 to the iPhone and iPad.
Despite this, Apple’s software design team seemed to be content, and Apple’s Vision Pro user interface and push into Liquid Glass certainly gave Dye and his group plenty to work on. However, that’s also a rare moment for Apple, which typically only refreshes its software designs about once a decade, so perhaps Dye is feeling the need to pursue new challenges.
Apple confirmed the executive’s departure in a statement to Bloomberg News, noting that he will be succeeded by Steve Lemay, who has “played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” according to Tim Cook.
While Dye reportedly only informed Apple of his decision this week, senior leadership had reportedly been expecting his departure.
At Meta, Dye will be taking on the role of chief design officer under the Reality Labs group, where he will report to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth. In that role, he’ll be tasked with “revamping Meta’s consumer devices with artificial intelligence features,” and heading up the hardware and software teams for the company’s new design studio.
It’s been a year of major executive shifts for Apple, and it could be just the start of some even bigger changes. Dye is the second executive departure we’ve heard about this week alone, following the official announcement of John Giannandrea’s departure yesterday, a more senior executive who headed up Apple’s Machine Learning and AI Strategy division. However, while Giannandrea’s retirement came as little surprise after Apple moved nearly all of his significant projects to other divisions earlier this year, it seems Dye’s departure is a more significant loss for the company.
Meanwhile, the past twelve months have also seen a changing of the guard in finance and operations, with long-time CFO Luca Maestri and COO Jeff Williams moving on. Former hardware chief Dan Riccio, who was moved to head up a new secret project in 2021, also announced his retirement in October 2024, although most of his portfolio had already been handed off to John Ternus long before.
Still, there are likely more changes to come. Johny Srouji, Apple’s silicon chief, and Lisa Jackson, Apple’s head of government environment initiatives, have both been evaluating their futures at the company, according to Bloomberg, and Tim Cook turned 65 this year, leading to speculation on when he may hand the reins to a new CEO. While there are conflicting reports about whether 2026 will be the year that happens, at least some pieces are already in motion. Many believe Cook’s next step could be to move up to Chairman of the Board, and with current chair Arthur Levinson hitting the suggested retirement age of 75, the timing seems about right.
With the design team now entering a whole new generation, the only question remaining is whether the company’s leadership structure will undergo a similar transformation in 2026.
