Halide Co-Founder Files Lawsuit Against Sebastiaan de With Over Alleged Source Code Theft to Apple

Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of Lux Optics, made waves when he joined Apple in late January. Lux was known for Halide, a highly regarded photography app for iPhone that earned a dedicated following thanks to its advanced pro-level features.

Apple’s interest in Lux was significant enough that they attempted to acquire the company last summer, but those negotiations didn’t lead to a deal. Instead, they opted to bring de With on board directly. Initially, it was thought that he had been recruited from Lux, but recent allegations from a lawsuit filed by co-founder Ben Sandofsky in California’s Santa Cruz Superior Court suggest otherwise. The lawsuit claims that de With was terminated for financial misconduct in December 2025.

Reports indicate that the suit “accuses de With of improperly using over $150,000 in Lux corporate funds for personal expenses” and “taking Lux source code and confidential materials when he transitioned to Apple.” De With’s attorney has refuted these allegations, stating that “the attempt to involve Apple in this dispute seems aimed at gaining leverage and drawing attention.”