Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has hired Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) longtime head of human interface design, Alan Dye, as it ramps up efforts to expand its consumer hardware and artificial intelligence technology initiatives.
Dye, who will join Meta as chief design officer on December 31, has led Apple's human interface design team since 2015 after joining the company in 2006.
During his tenure, he shaped the look and feel of flagship products, including the Vision Pro headset, iPhone X, and Apple Watch, and oversaw major redesigns of Apple's operating systems and apps, Bloomberg reported.
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What Will Dye Do For Meta?
According to Bloomberg, at Meta, Dye will lead a new design studio responsible for hardware, software, and AI integration across consumer devices.
He will report to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, who oversees Reality Labs, the division behind wearable technologies such as smart glasses and virtual reality headsets.
The hire signals Meta's intention to expand its consumer hardware offerings beyond smart glasses, leveraging partnerships with EssilorLuxottica brands Ray-Ban and Oakley to bring AI-enabled devices to market.
Apple's And Meta’s AI Effort
Dye's departure marks a significant loss for Apple, which is already experiencing executive turnover with recent exits including COO Jeff Williams and AI chief John Giannandrea.
According to a Reuters report, Apple has confirmed veteran designer Stephen Lemay will succeed Dye, noting that Lemay has played a central role in designing every major Apple interface since 1999.
Earlier in 2025, Meta ramped up its AI talent recruitment by hiring former Apple engineers Mark Lee and Tom Gunter for its Superintelligence Labs team.
The hires followed the recent recruitment of their former boss, Ruoming Pang, Apple's ex-head of large language models, who joined Meta with a multiyear package reportedly exceeding $200 million.
Meta also added AI talent from OpenAI and Anthropic, including Yuanzhi Li and Anton Bakhtin, as part of its aggressive expansion of the superintelligence unit.
Lee and Gunter played key roles on Apple's Foundation Models team, and Gunter joins a growing group of AI experts at Meta receiving seven-figure, multiyear deals.
According to the report, Meta capitalized on internal uncertainty at Apple over Siri and AI strategy, offering substantially higher compensation than Apple to attract top engineers.
Meanwhile, Apple has offered raises to retain its core AI staff, but insiders said the packages lag Meta's.
The $1.6 trillion market cap Meta has gained over 9% in stock value year-to-date. The $4.2 trillion Apple has gained over 13%.
Price Action: Meta Platforms shares were up 3.59% at $662.58 and Apple shares were down 0.43% at $282.93 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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