Apple Sued Over Alleged Poaching of Halide Co-Founder

Lawsuit claims former Lux Optics executive improperly used company funds and shared intellectual property with Apple.

Mar. 21, 2026 at 1:50pm

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Apple's plans to enhance the iPhone 18 Pro's Camera app led it to consider acquiring Lux Optics, the developer behind the popular iPhone camera apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre. The talks ultimately collapsed, and Lux CEO Ben Sandofsky has now filed a lawsuit against former co-founder Sebastian de With, accusing him of improperly using company funds and providing confidential material and source code to Apple after joining the tech giant's design team.

Why it matters

This legal dispute highlights the competitive nature of the smartphone camera market and the lengths companies will go to acquire talented developers and technology. The outcome could have implications for Apple's plans to upgrade the iPhone 18 Pro's camera capabilities and the future of the popular Halide app.

The details

According to reports, Apple held discussions in the summer of 2025 to acquire Lux Optics, but the talks ultimately collapsed. Two months later, Apple recruited Lux's co-founder and designer Sebastian de With. Lux CEO Ben Sandofsky then fired de With in December over alleged financial misconduct, and has now filed a lawsuit accusing de With of improperly using more than $150,000 in Lux company funds for personal expenses since 2022, as well as providing confidential material and source code from Lux to Apple.

  • In the summer of 2025, Apple held discussions to acquire Lux Optics.
  • Two months after the acquisition talks concluded without a deal, Apple recruited Lux's co-founder and designer Sebastian de With.
  • In December 2025, Lux CEO Ben Sandofsky fired de With over alleged financial misconduct.
  • In January 2026, de With announced that he had joined Apple's design team.

The players

Apple

A multinational technology company that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.

Lux Optics

The developer behind the popular iPhone camera apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre.

Ben Sandofsky

The CEO and co-founder of Lux Optics.

Sebastian de With

The co-founder and designer of Lux Optics, who later joined Apple's design team.

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What they’re saying

“The lawsuit was only filed after de With raised concerns with Sandofsky about financial irregularities at Lux and had requested access to its financial records and payments, suggesting that it was a 'retaliatory response to those efforts and an attempt to avoid scrutiny of that conduct.'”

— de With's legal representatives

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on whether to allow the lawsuit to proceed and if de With will be granted access to Lux's financial records.

The takeaway

This legal dispute highlights the intense competition in the smartphone camera market and the lengths companies will go to acquire talented developers and technology. The outcome could have significant implications for Apple's plans to upgrade the iPhone 18 Pro's camera capabilities and the future of the popular Halide app.