Bob Lee, a technology executive who created Cash App and who was currently a chief product officer at firm MobileCoin, has been stabbed to death in San Francisco, the cryptocurrency platform and police reported Wednesday.
In a news release, the San Francisco Police Department said its officers responded to a report of a stabbing early Tuesday morning and found a 43-year-old man who appeared to have sustained stab wounds. The victim later died at a hospital. Police did not identify the victim, but MobileCoin confirmed Lee's death Wednesday in response to an email from The Associated Press.
“Our dear friend and colleague, Bob Lee, passed away yesterday at the age of 43. He is survived by a loving family and several close friends and associates,” MobileCoin CEO Josh Goldbard wrote in a statement. Lee was "made for the new world," Goldbard added.
“From major contributions to Android at Google, to being Square's first CTO, then creating Cash App, and working with us here at MobileCoin, Bob surely made an impact that will last well beyond his short time on earth. ”, he expressed.
Lee initially came to MobileCoin as an investor and advisor before being appointed product manager and helping launch the Moby app, Goldbard added. Lee was the CTO of digital payments company Square in 2013 when he launched a money transfer app now known as Cash App.
Ron Conway, founder of San Francisco-based investment firm SV Angel, tweeted Wednesday that Lee's loss spells immense tragedy.
"My condolences to Bob's family and to the entire tech community," Conway said. “We have lost a great innovator, intelligence and spirit. We pray that the suspect is apprehended quickly."
“This is an open and active investigation, so we are not releasing any further information,” Niccole Pacchetti, public information officer, said in an email. "We will provide more details when they are available," he added.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square, reacted to the news, describing it as "heartbreaking." “Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App.” Other friends and colleagues from the world of technology offered their condolences on Wednesday and condemned the crime in San Francisco. Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, described the level of violent crime in that northern California city as “horrible”.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Musk replied to a user about the murder. “Many people I know have ended up seriously assaulted. Violent crime in San Francisco is horrifying and even if the attackers are caught, they are often immediately released.” The technology entrepreneur also tagged the district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, to ask him what he was doing to reduce the rates of violence.
San Francisco is facing an apparent spike in crime. This year, 12 homicides were registered, which represents an increase of 20% compared to the previous one. In total, there were 56 homicides in 2022, the same number as in 2021, CNN reported.
