43-Year-Old Cash App Founder Murdered in Overnight Attack in San Francisco
The founder of the mobile payment service Cash App has been identified as the victim of a fatal Tuesday stabbing in San Francisco.
Bob Lee, 43, died at a hospital following an altercation with another person near the intersection of Main and Folsom Streets near the Bay Bridge.
The San Francisco Police Department reported a man was stabbed overnight on April 4 and taken to a hospital by first responders after he was discovered just after 2:30 a.m.
“Officers arrived on scene and located a 43-year-old adult male victim suffering from apparent stab wounds,” the department said in an initial news release.
The department added, “Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite efforts by first responders and medical personnel, the victim succumbed to his injuries.”
KNTV identified the victim as Lee on Wednesday morning.
Network anchor Raj Mathai reported Lee was in the city for a short visit from Miami, Florida.
NEW: Sources confirm Bay Area tech exec stabbed to death in SF. Bob Lee was CPO of @mobilecoin and former CTO of @Square. 43 yr old was stabbed in 2am hour of Tuesday near Rincon Hill/Bay Bridge. No further details yet. @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/YoKXSbgm1J
— Raj Mathai (@rajmathai) April 5, 2023
On his Twitter page, Lee stated he founded Cash App and also helped create Google’s Android software that is popular on mobile phones.
In addition to his contributions to mobile phones and peer-to-peer payments, Lee was chief product officer for the cryptocurrency exchange MobileCoin and chief technology officer for the payment software Square.
MobileCoin CEO Josh Goldbar released a statement to KNTV about Lee’s death but did not relate it to the stabbing.
“Our dear friend and colleague, Bob Lee passed away yesterday at the age of 43, survived by a loving family and collection of close friends and collaborators,” Goldbar said Wednesday morning.
Added the tech CEO, “Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature. Bob was the genuine article. He was made for the world that is
being born right now, he was a child of dreams, and whatever he imagined, no matter how crazy, he made real.”
Goldbar went on to note some of Lee’s contributions to the tech industry, including an embrace of privacy but said his real impact was on the lives of those who knew him best.
“Bob’s real resume is the hearts and minds he touched in his time on earth,” Goldbar said. “Bob’s legacy is the feeling that you can make a difference if you try, and of course his amazing children.”
He concluded, “Here’s to the crazy ones. We will miss you Bob. We love you.”
Abra CEO Bill Barhydt shared the “devastating news” of Lee’s death on Twitter. “He was a generous, decent human being who didn’t deserve to be killed,” he said.
I just got devastating news that our friend Bob Lee (@crazybob ) was killed in SF early today.
Bob was a dad, the former CTO of Square where he created Cash App & CTO of Mobile Coin. He was a generous decent human being who didn’t deserve to be killed.https://t.co/RnzA1Idpun
— Bill Barhydt (@billbarhydt) April 5, 2023
Twitter CEO Elon Musk, reacting to a tweet about the crime by one of Lee’s friends’ chimed in to offer condolences .
“Very sorry to hear that,” Musk responded. “Many people I know have been severely assaulted.
“Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.”
Musk then tagged San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, asking, “Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders?”
No suspects have been named in Lee’s stabbing death by police.
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