The paradox of Apple losing people.

Alan Dye shared this at WWDC 2025. Photo: Apple .

Alan Dye, Apple's Vice President of Human Interface Design since 2015, is preparing to leave the company . Bloomberg reports that Meta recruited Dye as part of its strategy to promote AI-integrated consumer devices.

Stephen Lemay, who has spent 26 years working on Apple's design team, will take over the responsibility. Dye informed Apple's senior leadership of his departure this week and officially joined Meta on December 31, although his departure had been anticipated, according to Bloomberg .

CEO Tim Cook shared that design is at the core of Apple and Lemay has played a vital role in the design of every major interface the company has had since 1999. “He always set an extremely high standard for excellence and embodied Apple’s culture of collaborative innovation,” Cook said.

In an article on Daring Fireball, tech blogger and UI designer John Gruber also shared some insider reactions to the personnel change. He noted that despite being very private, Lemay was highly praised by many at Apple, particularly for his attention to detail and craftsmanship.

In contrast to the enthusiastic welcome for the new boss, internal reactions showed satisfaction at Dye's voluntary departure. "The attention to detail and craftsmanship were largely lacking during Dye's era. The sentiment within Apple upon receiving this news was overwhelmingly positive, especially since everyone had previously given up hope that Dye would be forced to leave," Gruber wrote.

At Meta, Dye will lead a new design studio and oversee hardware, software, and AI integration across Meta's products. Mark Zuckerberg mentioned this news in a Threads post, saying the studio will “combine design, fashion , and technology to shape the next generation of products and experiences.”

Bloomberg reports that Apple's design vice president, Billy Sorrentino, will also be leaving the company to join Meta. Gruber alluded to a rumor that other members of Dye's inner circle would also be leaving Apple to join Meta with him.

Dye's role at Apple has expanded significantly since Jony Ive left in 2019. Most recently, he oversaw the Liquid Glass overhaul in iOS 26 and directly introduced the new design language at WWDC in June. He also played a key role in the design of the Apple Vision Pro and the visionOS operating system.

These departures are just the latest developments in a long series of changes at Apple's top leadership positions. Most recently, John Giannandrea, senior vice president of AI, will leave his position and officially retire in the spring of 2026. COO Jeff Williams retired last month, along with CFO Luca Maestri.

Many sources suggest Tim Cook could also leave his position as early as next year. Apple has also lost a significant number of designers to LoveFrom, Jony Ive's design firm, as well as OpenAI. Both are developing AI-integrated hardware devices under the "io" brand.