Meta Hires Apple Design Exec Alan Dye to Lead Reality Labs Studio
▼ Summary
– Alan Dye, Apple’s former head of user interface design, is leaving to join Meta, as reported by Bloomberg.
– This is a significant hire for Meta as it focuses on consumer devices like smart glasses and VR headsets, where Dye will improve AI features.
– At Apple, Dye will be replaced by Steve Lemay, a long-time key designer of Apple’s major interfaces.
– Meta is actively recruiting from competitors like Apple and OpenAI to bolster its position in the AI race.
– Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new creative studio led by Dye to combine design, fashion, and technology for future products.
Meta has secured a major talent acquisition with the hiring of Alan Dye, the former Apple executive who oversaw the tech giant’s user interface design for the past ten years. Dye is departing Apple to join Meta, where he will lead a newly formed creative studio within the company’s Reality Labs division. His primary focus will be on enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities within Meta’s consumer hardware, such as smart glasses and VR headsets, and he will report directly to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth. This strategic move underscores Meta’s intensified push into the competitive arena of AI-powered devices.
At Apple, Dye’s responsibilities will be assumed by Steve Lemay, a veteran designer credited by CEO Tim Cook with playing a pivotal role in the development of every major Apple interface since 1999. Dye’s transition to Meta represents a continuation of the social media giant’s pattern of recruiting top-tier talent from rival firms to bolster its artificial intelligence initiatives. Earlier this year, Meta also attracted several researchers from OpenAI, highlighting the fierce competition for expertise in this field.
Following the announcement of Dye’s hiring, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg formally introduced the new Reality Labs studio, which will be under Dye’s leadership. The studio aims to merge design, fashion, and advanced technology to shape the future of Meta’s product ecosystem. Dye will be supported by a team of seasoned designers, including former Apple colleague Billy Sorrentino, Joshua To, industrial design lead Pete Bristol, and metaverse design head Jason Rubin.
In a statement on Threads, Zuckerberg elaborated on the studio’s ambitious vision. He described the intent to “treat intelligence as a new design material,” exploring the possibilities that arise when advanced AI is made abundant and centered on human needs. The goal is to elevate the role of design at Meta by assembling a group with a unique blend of creative vision, technical systems thinking, and proven experience in building iconic products that seamlessly integrate hardware and software.
(Source: TechCrunch)
