File: Then Apple Artistic Director Alan Dye celebrates the launch of the July Situation on the new WIRED workplace on June 24, 2015 in San Francisco, California.
Kimberly White | Getty Photos
Apple‘s head of consumer interface design, Alan Dye, will be a part of Meta, in a notable shift of govt expertise in Silicon Valley.
The iPhone maker confirmed Dye’s departure on Wednesday and Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner stated in a press release that the corporate prioritizes design and has a powerful staff. The assertion stated that veteran designer Stephen Lemay will succeed Dye.
“Steve Lemay has performed a key function within the design of each main Apple interface since 1999,” Prepare dinner stated in a press release.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a Wednesday social media publish stated that Dye would lead up a brand new artistic studio that brings collectively design, style and expertise.
“We plan to raise design inside Meta,” wrote Zuckerberg, who didn’t say what particular merchandise Dye will work on.
In comparison with different Silicon Valley firms, Apple has at all times emphasised design to clients and buyers as certainly one of its strengths. Apple prominently options its design executives to debate interface modifications on the firm’s launch occasions.
In June, Dye revealed a redesign of Apple’s software program interface for iPhones, Macs and the Apple Watch known as Liquid Glass. The corporate described it as an “elegant” new design with translucent buttons, up to date app icons and fluid animations.
Dye stated it was the “subsequent chapter” of the corporate’s software program and stated it “units the stage” for the subsequent period of Apple merchandise.
“Our new design blurs the strains between {hardware} and software program to create an expertise that is extra pleasant than ever whereas nonetheless acquainted and straightforward to make use of,” Dye stated on the launch.
Opinions had been combined on the Liquid Glass replace, which shipped with new iPhones in September.
Apple proclaims liquid glass in the course of the Apple Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) on June 9, 2025 in Cupertino, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Photos
For years, Apple design was embodied by govt Jony Ive, who left Apple in 2019 and is now working with OpenAI on synthetic intelligence {hardware} alongside Sam Altman.
Dye took over consumer interface design and have become one of many design studio’s leads in 2015 when Ive stepped again from a day-to-day function. Dye began at Apple in 2006 and labored on software program for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Imaginative and prescient Professional, in keeping with his LinkedIn profile.
He was additionally partly answerable for the primary iPhone in 2017 that did away with the house display button on the backside of the machine and changed it with a software-based swipe-up movement.
Meta has stated lately that it needs to be a significant developer of {hardware} and Zuckerberg has stated Apple is certainly one of his firm’s greatest opponents.
The social media firm presently makes a number of digital actuality headsets below its Quest model, and not too long ago scored its first {hardware} hit with Ray-Ban Meta sensible glasses, that are fashionable sun shades outfitted with cameras and the power to run an AI mannequin that may reply questions. Gross sales of the machine tripled over the previous yr, Ray-Ban mother or father firm EssilorLuxottica stated in July.
“We’re coming into a brand new period the place AI glasses and different gadgets will change how we join with expertise and one another,” Zuckerberg wrote.
Bloomberg first reported the transfer.
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