Apple Hires Halide Co-Founder Sebastiaan de With for Design Team

Sebastiaan de With, the co-founder of Lux and the creative force behind acclaimed iPhone photography tools like Halide and Kino, has officially joined Apple’s design division. The move marks a return to the tech giant for de With, who previously contributed to the development of iCloud and Find My.

De With announced the career shift on Wednesday, expressing enthusiasm for the new role. “So excited to work with the very best team in the world on my favorite products,” he stated in a post on X. Before establishing Lux alongside Ben Sandofsky in 2016, de With built an extensive design portfolio that included collaborations with major industry players such as Sony, T-Mobile, and Mozilla.

The Future of Halide and Lux

Despite the departure of his co-founder, Ben Sandofsky confirmed that Lux will continue its operations. Development of the company’s flagship apps remains ongoing, with the team currently prioritizing new features.

• Lux recently launched a public preview of Halide Mark III.
• The new version highlights “Looks,” a feature designed to emulate the distinct visual characteristics of classic film photography.

Organizational Shifts at Apple

The arrival of de With coincides with a period of transition within Apple’s leadership and design philosophy. The company is currently navigating the reception of the Liquid Glass design introduced in iOS 26, which faced mixed feedback.

The design department has also seen significant personnel changes, most notably the departure of Alan Dye, the former chief of user interface design, who moved to Meta in December. Additionally, internal structural updates have been confirmed; as reported by Bloomberg, John Ternus—widely considered a potential successor to CEO Tim Cook—assumed oversight of hardware and software design late last year.