Bob Lee, who previously held the position of Chief Technology Officer at Square and was also behind the development of Cash App, passed away on Tuesday, April 4, due to injuries sustained from a stabbing incident that occurred in San Francisco.
Lee, aged 43, was discovered stabbed on the 400 block of Main Street in SoMa Bay early on Tuesday morning. The police and first responders provided him with emergency medical assistance in a bid to save his life. However, he passed away in the hospital due to his injuries, according to reports.
On April 5th, Bill Barhydt, CEO of Abra, tweeted about the demise of Bob Lee. Bill had shared a report from the local media outlet which covered the incident where the victim was not identified in the report. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.
The San Francisco Police Department reported receiving a call about a stabbing roughing around 2.35 AM. Authorities encourage anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the SFPD 24-hour Tip Line.
In addition to Cash App, Bob Lee served as the current Chief Product Officer of the crypto company MobileCoin.
Joshua Goldbard, CEO of MobileCoin, is quoted saying:
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.
Tributes On Social Media
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey verified the news of Bob Lee’s death on the decentralized social media platform Nostr. A screenshot of Dorsey’s post indicated that he received multiple calls about the unfortunate incident.
On April 5th, former UFC fighter Jake Shields tweeted about the death of a “good friend” in one of San Francisco’s “good” neighborhoods.
In a later tweet, he revealed that the victim was Bob Lee, and expressed his hope that the incident would bring attention to the issue, given that Lee was an “extremely high profile” individual.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, expressed his condolences after reading Jake Shields’ tweet, stating that he was “very sorry” to hear about Bob Lee’s passing.
The recent fatal stabbing incident could amplify the focus on public safety concerns in San Francisco, where citizens and business owners have become more worried about violent crimes and thefts. Mayor London Breed has vowed to take strict measures to curb criminal activities in the city.
Bob Lee Rose To Prominence After Serving As First CTO Of Square
Bob Lee was the mastermind behind the development of Cash App, a mobile payment service launched in 2013 while employed at Square (now known as Block), which Jack Dorsey co-founded.
Block had initially recruited Lee to create the Android app for the company and was then promoted to Chief Technology Officer in 2011.
After leaving Square in 2016, Lee served as Chief Technology Officer for Xpring, a blockchain company. He then joined MobileCoin afterwards as its Chief Technology Officer in 2021.
