Trained By The Best: Facebook And J.C. Penney Both Hire Away Apple Execs

So, in case you haven’t heard, Apple is doing pretty well. Things are different now without Steve at the helm, but change isn’t always bad. Although George Colony, taking the contrarian approach, would like to disagree.

Today, we’ve gotten word that Apple Senior Art Director Sharon Hwang, who headed the graphics design team, has left Apple to join Facebook’s product design team. Though it looks like Hwang joined Facebook last month, the Facebook Design Team officially announced her hiring today on their Facebook page.

Prior to joining Facebook and Apple, the designer was the Art Director at Stockholm Design Lab for two and a half years, and prior to that was a graphic designer at Pentagram.

We’ve also learned today that Benjamin Fay, Apple’s Senior Director of Retail Real Estate, Design and Development has left the company and will be headed to J.C. Penney. Fay has been at Apple for eight years, working as the head of retail store design and planning. The former senior director is the second senior Apple executive for leave for J.C. Penney in the last 6 months.

Fay will report to J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson, who it just so happens left Apple for J.C. Penney in November. Johnson was the former Senior VP of Retail Operations at Apple, and both he and Fay had a lot to do with making the Apple Store, well, the Apple Store.

Fay will join J.C. Penney as the EVP of real estate, store design and development. According to a statement released by J.C. Penney, Fay will be leading the design of the company’s new retail stores, assisting Johnson as part of an initiative in which the company will “create an entirely new interface for retail.” Obviously big things to come for J.C. Penney retail, with their new look being led by two of the guys most closely behind the design and expansion of Apple Stores across the world.