Lux Optics co-founder Sebastiaan de With made headlines when he joined Apple in late January. The corporate was behind Halide, one of the crucial well-liked images apps for the iPhone, which gained a cult following for its sturdy pro-level controls.
Apple was apparently a large enough fan that it tried to accumulate the developer final summer season. These talks by no means bore fruit, and ultimately the corporate merely employed de With. On the time, it was extensively believed that Apple had poached him from Lux. However new allegations from a lawsuit filed by co-founder Ben Sandofsky within the California Superior Court docket of Santa Cruz declare de With was fired for monetary misconduct in December of 2025.
Based on The Data, the swimsuit “accuses de With of improperly utilizing greater than $150,000 in Lux company funds to pay for private bills,” in addition to “taking Lux supply code and confidential materials with him when he joined Apple.”
An legal professional for de With denied these claims and stated that “The try to insert Apple into this dispute seems designed to create leverage and appeal to consideration.“