Fresh on the heels of Apple announcing John Giannandrea’s retirement, today we learn Alan Dye has been poached by Meta to serve in a chief design role. It was initially reported by Bloomberg, but I wanted to link to Zuckerberg’s post on Threads where he added more color to the announcement later this evening.

Today we’re establishing a new creative studio in Reality Labs led by Alan Dye, who has spent nearly 20 years leading design at Apple.

The new studio will bring together design, fashion, and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences. Our idea is to treat intelligence as a new design material and imagine what becomes possible when it is abundant, capable, and human-centered. We plan to elevate design within Meta, and pull together a talented group with a combination of craft, creative vision, systems thinking, and deep experience building iconic products that bridge hardware and software.

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We’re entering a new era where AI glasses and other devices will change how we connect with technology and each other. The potential is enormous, but what matters most is making these experiences feel natural and truly centered around people. With this new studio, we’re focused on making every interaction thoughtful, intuitive, and built to serve people.

I find this framing to be fascinating. Not because I believe in Dye or Meta to truly deliver something worth using, but because Zuckerberg thinks smart glasses with a heads-up display and the metaverse will have a chance in hell at replacing the smartphone in the near future. Grab as many seasoned designers as you want, but when you lack the ecosystem that enables established hardware and software companies to truly thrive, you will be left with nothing more than a cool demo. As an extension of the smartphone an accessory pair of smart glasses will certainly find a market, and that is why Apple, Google, and Samsung are the only companies in a position to truly innovate in this area.