Sebastiaan de With, a co-founder of Lux Optics, garnered considerable attention when he commenced employment with Apple toward the close of January. His company had developed Halide, a widely acclaimed photography application for the iPhone, which cultivated a loyal following due to its powerful professional-grade functionalities.
Apple was evidently so impressed that it endeavored to purchase the developer firm the preceding summer season. These negotiations proved unfruitful, and ultimately, the corporation merely employed de With. Initially, a common perception was that Apple had lured him away from Lux. However, fresh accusations originating from a legal action lodged by fellow founder Ben Sandofsky in the California Superior Court of Santa Cruz assert de With’s dismissal for fiscal impropriety in December of 2025.
As reported by The Information, the legal action “alleges de With misused over $150,000 from Lux company finances for private expenditures,” in addition to “appropriating Lux source code and sensitive data upon his entry at Apple.”
De With’s legal counsel refuted these assertions and stated that “The endeavor to involve Apple in this contention seems intended to generate influence and draw notice.“
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