The company is hiring Alan Dye, who has served as the head of Apple’s user interface design team since 2015, according

to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple is replacing Dye with longtime designer Stephen Lemay, said the people,

who asked not to be identified because the personnel changes haven’t been announced.

Apple confirmed the move in a statement provided to Bloomberg News.

“Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” Chief Executive Officer Tim

Cook said in the statement. “He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture

of collaboration and creativity.”

The move represents a seismic shift in Silicon Valley and shows that Meta is committed to becoming a name-brand maker of

hardware devices. For Apple, the departure extends an exodus of talent suffered by the design team since the exit of

visionary executive Jony Ive in 2019.

Dye had taken on a more significant role at Apple after Ive left, helping define how the company’s latest operating

systems, apps and devices look and feel. The executive informed Apple this week that he’d decided to leave, though top

management had already been bracing for his departure, the people said.

With the Dye hire, Meta is creating a new design studio and putting him in charge of design for hardware, software and

AI integration for its interfaces.

He will be reporting to Meta's Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, who oversees Reality Labs. That group is tasked

with developing wearable devices, such as smart glasses and virtual reality headsets.

Dye’s major focus will be revamping Meta’s consumer devices with AI features. He will serve as chief design officer for

the group starting 31 December.

Dye most recently oversaw the interface of the Apple Vision Pro headset and a sweeping redesign of Apple’s operating

systems. He was central to designing the company’s apps, the Apple Watch and the iPhone X. His team has been helping

develop a slate of new smart home devices as well.

Dye’s exit is a major loss for Apple, which was already coping with some critical departures in recent weeks.

Jeff Williams, the company’s longtime chief operating officer, retired last month. And AI head John Giannandrea just

announced his departure this week following years of struggles to catch up in AI. Last fall, Apple’s former hardware

chief Dan Riccio also retired.

The turnover is expected to continue, with many of the remaining top leaders, including Cook, nearing typical retirement

ages. Johny Srouji, Apple’s silicon chief, and Lisa Jackson, Apple’s head of government environment initiatives, have

both been evaluating their futures at the company.

“The design is fundamental to who we are at Apple, and today, we have an extraordinary design team working on the most

innovative product lineup in our history,” Cook said in the statement.

Joining Dye at Meta is Billy Sorrentino, a prominent deputy who has served as a senior director on Apple’s design team

since 2016. Meta’s current design leaders—Joshua To, Jason Rubin and Peter Bristol—also will report to Dye.