Apple’s head of UI design leaves for Meta

Apple’s head of user interface design and longtime executive Alan Dye has left Apple to join Meta, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Dye has led Apple’s UI design team since 2015, having overseen many major launches. For example, in 2015, the operating system versions on Apple’s major platforms were iOS 9 and macOS 9; Since then, we’ve seen ten iterations of each platform.

According to the report, Dye will now be responsible for design for the integration of hardware, software and AI within Meta’s freshly created design studio.

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the news to Bloomberg and said his replacement would be longtime Apple designer Stephen Lemay.

“Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999. He has always set the bar extremely high for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture of collaboration and creativity,” Cook said in a statement.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the creation of a “new creative studio in Reality Labs” that will be led by Alan Dye.

“The new studio will bring together design, fashion and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences,” he wrote.

Zuckerberg also said that Apple designer Billy Sorrentino would also come to Meta and join Dye’s team.

Dye is leaving Apple at a particularly sensitive time. The company is reportedly working on a foldable iPhone, the first such product for Apple, which will surely require a significant overhaul of the iOS user interface.

Dye’s departure follows several other high-level Apple executive departures. The company’s COO, Jeff WIlliams, retired in November and Apple’s AI chief, John Giannandrea, announced his departure last week.