Apple's UI design chief moves to Meta, as Apple faces a period of organizational change as talent drain continues

Alan Dye, who led Apple's user interface (UI) design team, has left the company to join rival company Meta, where he will serve as chief design officer for Realty Lab, the company's hardware division, effective December 31, 2025.

Apple's Top Designer Alan Dye Poached by Meta in Major Coup - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-03/apple-design-executive-alan-dye-poached-by-meta-in-major-coup

Apple's head of UI design is leaving for Meta | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/837654/apple-meta-alan-dye-designer

Dye oversaw the interface design for the Apple Watch and iPhone, as well as the latest mixed reality headset, Apple Vision Pro. For Meta, poaching Apple's most prominent design executive represents a major shift in power in Silicon Valley and signals the company's commitment to developing consumer hardware devices.

Additionally, Billy Sorrentino, a senior director on Apple's design team, will also be moving to Meta along with Dye.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Threads post that he sees AI as a 'new material for design' and wants to imagine what will be possible when the technology becomes abundant and capable.

Zuckerberg also said that we are entering an era where new devices such as AI glasses will change the way people connect, and that through the new studio led by Dai, he aims to design every interaction to be an intuitive, human-centered experience.

Meanwhile, Apple has appointed veteran designer Stephen LeMay as Dye's successor. LeMay has played a key role in the design of all major Apple interfaces since 1999. According to Bloomberg, which reported on the appointment, Apple CEO Tim Cook praised LeMay for consistently setting high standards of excellence and embodying Apple's culture of collaboration and creativity.

Dye's departure marks a major blow for Apple, which has been losing talent from its design team since the departure of legendary designer Jonathan Ive in 2019.

Jonathan Ive, who designed iPhones and other products, will go independent and start a new company called 'LoveFrom' - GIGAZINE

In October 2025, it was reported that Ke Yang, who was in charge of Apple's AI search project, was poached by Meta.

The person who was the developer of Apple's 'ChatGPT-style AI search function' moves to Meta - GIGAZINE

Additionally, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams has retired, and AI head John Giannandrea has also announced his departure, resulting in a string of executive departures.

Apple's AI chief is former Microsoft executive Amar Subramaniya, whose predecessor John Giannandrea is retiring - GIGAZINE

In addition, it has been reported that Johnny Srouji, head of the semiconductor division, is also considering his own future, and Bloomberg pointed out that Apple is at a turning point in its organization.