Apple's Head of UI design is leaving to join Meta as its Chief Design Officer

The mind behind everything from the box that your first iPhone came in to the new liquid glass in iOS 26, Alan Dye, is leaving his post as the Head of UI Design at Apple to join its main rivals, Meta, as Chief Design Officer

Apple launched the first iPhone back in 2007, one year after Alan Dye joined the tech company, blending into the massive systematic design team.

Since his days of making boxes and packaging materials, he rose to become one of the most influential people Apple has ever employed.

But after nearly 20 years of innovation at the tech giant, he’s now leaving the company and taking his expertise to Meta.

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Alan Dye reportedly set for Meta switch

In the last few months, many tech gurus have been tempted by the lucrative opportunities at Meta.

In August of this year, one AI engineer accepted a role worth three times more than Tim Cook makes.

Now, Head of UI Design Alan Dye is following this trend from Apple to Meta.

Having led the UI team since 2015, playing a pivotal role in the iMac and Apple Watch, Alan Dye is joining Meta as of December 31.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Dye will start 2026 off with an entirely new studio at Meta, focusing on ‘hardware, software, and AI integration for its interfaces.’

It’s been a heavy 72 hours for Apple to digest on the staffing front, as Dye’s leaving is one of four key high-profile departures

AI Chief John Giannandrea retired earlier this week, while General Counsel Kate Adams and Policy Officer Lisa Jackson also left.

What this means for Meta

Meta has come a long way in a similar timeframe to Apple. Having once been the College campus connective interface, as seen in The Social Network, Facebook has expanded into a global tech empire.

Having entered into the hardware arms race against Apple, many of the lines have blurred between the companies, especially in the Virtual Reality space, where the Meta Quest 3 has stark similarities to the Vision Pro.

For Alan Dye, his new company will be putting its eggs in the augmented basket, as Chief AI scientists recently wagered phones will become obsolete within the next decade.

With a big push on expanding the work on its smart glasses, Dye will likely be putting a lot of effort into increasing the UI on the leading eyewear technology.

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