C.Scott Brown / Android AuthorityTL;DR Apple’s VP of Human Interface Design, Alan Dye, is set to join Meta on December 31 to lead the company’s design efforts.Dye will create a new Meta design studio focused on hardware, software, and AI integration.
The move could give Meta’s wearable devices an edge as they face emerging threats from Google and Samsung via Android XR.Meta has wielded its financial might to stock up talent in the technology industry, spending millions on poaching AI engineers, researchers, and executives from competitors like Apple and OpenAI.Now, it’s using that strategy to nab Apple’s vice president of human interface design, who led the company’s software design efforts for a decade.The Apple design executive, Alan Dye, will reportedly join Meta on December 31, according to a Bloomberg report.
It comes at a time when Meta’s wearable devices face significant threats, with Google and Samsung building out headsets and smart glasses under the Android XR platform to challenge the Quest, Ray-Ban Meta, and Oakley Meta lines.Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
Dye will reportedly be tasked with creating a wide-ranging design studio covering hardware, software, and AI integration.He’ll hold the chief design officer title and report directly to Andrew Bosworth, who is Meta’s chief technology offer and leads the Reality Labs division.This reporting structure suggests Dye will play a major role in shaping the future of Meta’s mixed-reality headsets and smart glasses in 2026.Meta Quest headsets run on Horizon OS, an Android-based operating system that is a separate alternative to Google’s new Android XR platform.
The company’s smart glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta, run a lightweight and unnamed OS that heavily leverages Meta AI.Meta Ray-Ban Display, the brand’s new smart glasses with a monocular display, notably require an in-person demo for purchase.The product is something “almost nobody has ever experienced before,” according to Meta.
The demo requirement is in place so that users understand how the hardware and software work before buying the device.It’s possible that, with Dye at the helm of Meta design, the company could make more intuitive products that forgo required demos and limited availability.These are all areas where Dye may be poised to improve Meta’s hardware and software experience.Dye previously led the design of iOS 26 and Liquid Glass, Apple Vision Pro and visionOS, and watchOS, according to the report.Samsung already released the Galaxy XR headset, an Android XR-based alternative to premium headsets like the former Meta Quest Pro.
There’s also a Samsung pair of smart glasses in the works, and there are a flurry of Android XR partners that could further build out the ecosystem in the coming years.In other words, Meta is facing its biggest challenge yet in the world of face-worn electronics, and Dye could help the company pad its lead in the market.NewsAppleMetaMeta QuestFollowThank you for being part of our community.Read our Comment Policy before posting.
