Co-founder sues former partner over source code transfer
Sebastiaan de With has filed a lawsuit against his co-founders and partners, alleging they illegally transferred the Halide camera app's original software to Cupertino without authorization after an attempted deal fell through; reports indicate that in late January 2025 or early March of this year Apple reportedly considered acquiring Lux Optics specifically as part of its strategy for future iPhone models like a rumored "iPhone 18 Pro" with enhanced photography capabilities.
Key Points
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1Apple is currently involved in a legal dispute with co-founders of Halide over alleged misuse of funds and source code transfer.
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2A lawsuit filed by Lux Optics' former partner revealed that Apple was considering acquiring the company to enhance its iPhone camera software, specifically targeting future models like the 'iPhone 18 Pro'.
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3Sebastiaan de With recently joined Apple's design team after initially announcing his departure from Halide.
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4The acquisition talks between Lux Optics and Apple ultimately collapsed due to disagreements regarding financial management within the startup.
Developments
Apple has hired Sebastiaan de With from the camera app firm Halide following a failed acquisition attempt by Lux Optics. A civil lawsuit is currently underway in California between Apple and former co-founder Ben Sandofsky, who alleges that De With misused company funds for personal expenses before being terminated to make room at his new job with Cupertino's tech giant.
A lawsuit filed by Lux Optics alleges that Sebastiaan de With misused $150,000 in company funds and stole confidential source code before joining Apple's design team; however, the legal documents do not name Apple as a defendant. The dispute revealed plans for an upcoming iPhone 18 Pro to upgrade its basic camera software with professional-grade features previously available through third-party apps like Halide.
Apple conducted unsuccessful takeover negotiations with Lux Optics in the summer of 2025 to acquire its camera software technologies, including Halide and Spectre apps that offer advanced manual controls. Following these talks ended without result due to internal disputes between founders regarding financial management over which a lawsuit was filed by Ben Sandofsky against Sebastiaan de With while Apple remained uninvolved in the legal proceedings.
Apple considered acquiring Lux Optics in summer 2025 to enhance the iPhone camera app but ultimately failed and instead hired a former designer who had previously been fired by CEO Ben Sandofsky for alleged financial irregularities; consequently, Sandofsky has filed suit against de With accusing him of misusing company funds over $150,000 since 2022.