Meta Hires Apple Design Exec Alan Dye to Head New Creative Studio in Reality Labs
Alan Dye, long-time leader of Apple’s user interface team, is departing to take on a new role at Meta. Moreover, the move signals a notable shift in the competition for design and AI talent. Dye will work on enhancing AI-driven features in consumer devices such as smart glasses and virtual reality headsets, and he will report directly to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth.
At Apple, Dye’s role will transition to Steve Lemay, who, as Tim Cook noted, has had “a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999.” This leadership change marks another moment in an already active period of design reshuffling.
Intensifying Talent Race in AI
The hiring of Dye arrives as Meta seeks to strengthen its position in the broader AI race. Additionally, the company has already attracted researchers from OpenAI earlier this year. (Allegedly, Mark Zuckerberg once hand-delivered homemade soup to an OpenAI employee during a recruitment effort; OpenAI chief research officer Mark Chen said that he has since delivered his own soup to promising Meta recruits.) These anecdotes, while lighthearted, still highlight an increasingly competitive environment among leading tech companies.
Furthermore, shortly after news of Dye’s departure surfaced, Zuckerberg revealed a new creative studio within Reality Labs that will be led by Dye. Joining him will be Billy Sorrentino, another former Apple designer; Joshua To, who led interface design across Reality Labs; the industrial design team led by Pete Bristol; and the metaverse design and art teams led by Jason Rubin. Together, they are expected to help steer the next phase of the company’s product vision.
Vision for the New Creative Studio
Zuckerberg said the studio would “bring together design, fashion, and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences.”
He also wrote on Threads that “Our idea is to treat intelligence as a new design material and imagine what becomes possible when it is abundant, capable, and human-centered.” He added, “We plan to elevate design within Meta, and pull together a talented group with a combination of craft, creative vision, systems thinking, and deep experience building iconic products that bridge hardware and software.”
