Apple Inc.’s head of user interface design, Alan Dye, is leaving the company after almost 20 years and will now join Meta Platforms Inc. to head a new creative studio that will bring together design, fashion, and technology.

A major hire for Meta, Dye (pictured), was a lead executive on Liquid Glass, a key feature discussed in the launch of iOS 26. He’d joined Apple in 2006, working on software for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. In 2015, he became the head of user interface design. Apple’s Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a statement to Bloomberg that Dye will be replaced by Steve Lemay, who has had “a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999.”

The move comes on the back of the departure of Apple’s artificial intelligence chief, John Giannandrea, who will be replaced by AI researcher Amar Subramanya, a longtime Google LLC executive who more recently worked for Microsoft Corp., after the company failed to reboot Siri.

Dye will now report to Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth. “The new studio will bring together design, fashion, and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences,” Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in the post. “Our idea is to treat intelligence as a new design material and imagine what becomes possible when it is abundant, capable, and human-centered.”

Dye will be joined by Billy Sorrentino, formerly a leading designer at Apple; Joshua To, head of interface design for Reality Labs; Pete Bristol’s industrial design team; and the metaverse design and art teams led by Jason Rubin.

Meta’s poaching acumen shows the company has some deep pockets. Zuckerberg wrote that he sees a “new era” where AI glasses and other futuristic devices will change how people connect – not the first time he’s said that. “The potential is enormous, but what matters most is making these experiences feel natural and truly centered around people,” he added. “With this new studio, we’re focused on making every interaction thoughtful, intuitive, and built to serve people.”

Photo: Apple