Sebastiaan de With, who co-founded Lux Optics, garnered significant attention when he was welcomed into Apple’s fold in late January. Lux Optics is renowned for creating Halide, a photography app beloved by iPhone users for its sophisticated, professional-grade features.

Apple, evidently impressed by Halide’s success, attempted to acquire the developer last summer. Although those negotiations did not succeed, Apple eventually brought de With on board. Initially, it was assumed that Apple had enticed him away from Lux. However, a recent lawsuit filed by co-founder Ben Sandofsky in the California Superior Court of Santa Cruz presents a different narrative, alleging that de With was dismissed in December 2025 due to financial misconduct.

As reported by The Information, the legal complaint accuses de With of misappropriating over $150,000 of Lux’s corporate funds for personal use. Furthermore, it claims he took proprietary code and sensitive company information when he transitioned to Apple.

De With’s legal representative refuted these allegations, suggesting that “The effort to drag Apple into this matter seems intended to gain leverage and draw public attention.”