> Corellium was founded in Aug. 2017. According to court records, Apple tried to buy Corellium starting in Jan. 2018, but talks had broken down by summer. Apple sued Corellium in Aug. 2019.
This is particularly detestful
But common! Companies often pretend to buy you in order to get insight into your plans and finances. Or pretend to buy you in order to delay you so that they can build competitors. Can happen to individuals too. You get interviewed, made to explain the design choices of your invention only to then get rejected when they release their competing product.
Seems to me the smart thing to do is to have provisions that will charge them money if they pull out of the deal after you laid all trade secrets bare.
Seems like it's not unheard of to have payouts when a buyout falls through.