Apple’s Design Chief Responsible for Liquid Glass UI Reportedly Departs to Join Meta

Apple's design chief Alan Dye, who oversaw the company's latest Liquid Glass user interface, is reportedly joining Meta. As per the report, the social media giant will create a new design division that will be headed by Dye, and will work on the company's hardware, software, and AI integration for its interfaces. The departure has reportedly been confirmed by the Cupertino-based tech giant, and a replacement has already been selected. Notably, the iPhone maker has recently witnessed a string of high-level executives either leaving for another company or retiring.

Meta Poaches Apple's Design Chief

According to a Bloomberg report, Alan Dye, the Vice President of Human Interface Design at Apple, is departing to join Meta. Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the publication claimed that Dye will focus on Meta's AI-powered consumer devices after official appointment. The iPhone maker is reportedly planning to elevate longtime designer Stephen Lemay to the departee's role.

Apple has confirmed the appointment of Lemay in a statement given to Bloomberg. “Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999. He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple's culture of collaboration and creativity,” the publication quoted CEO Tim Cook as saying.

Dye, who first joined the iPhone maker in 2015, has reportedly contributed to the design of different devices and interfaces. It is said that he was pushed to the current role after former design chief Jony Ive left. His most notable contribution was overseeing the Liquid Glass design language across the company's different operating systems. The report claimed that Dye told the company about his decision to depart this week, although the top brass had already anticipated it.

While his current status within the company remains unconfirmed, Dye will reportedly join Meta as the Chief Design Officer starting December 31. The social media giant is said to be creating a new design studio for the executive, and he will be made in charge of the design of all the AI-powered consumer devices the company builds, such as smart glasses and virtual reality headsets. Dye will reportedly be reporting to the company's Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, who also oversees Reality Labs.

The departure comes at a time Apple is already transitioning several high-level positions. Recently, the company announced that Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, John Giannandrea, will be retiring in spring 2026. Before this, Apple COO Jeff Williams had also announced his retirements. Earlier still, CFO Luca Maestri also departed the company. Several reports have also claimed that the tech giant is also lining up a replacement for Cook.