Apple's longtime design leader, Alan Dye — who shaped the look and feel of flagship products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro — is leaving the company at the end of the year to join Meta. The move highlights Meta’s aggressive push into AI-powered hardware and wearable devices.
Meta plans to install Dye as Chief Design Officer and to launch a new creative studio blending hardware, software and AI design under one roof — with the aim of building intuitively designed devices for the emerging AI era.
For Apple, Dye’s departure represents a significant talent loss — both in terms of interface design and as a signal within the competitive talent war raging in Silicon Valley. Several top-tier employees have recently shifted to Meta, signaling a shifting balance of power.
In the broader tech industry, the switch signals that the race isn’t just about software or algorithms anymore — it’s about the full package: hardware, user experience, and design. Whoever masters all three may define how people engage with AI in everyday life.
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