Bob Lee, Cash App founder and former Square executive, dead after 'horrific' act of violence

“Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature,” a former colleague said.

April 6, 2023, 11:14 AM

Bob Lee, Cash App founder and executive at cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin, died after "apparent stab wounds," the San Francisco Police Department said on Thursday.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Wednesday described the killing of Lee as "horrific."

Police responded to a report of a stabbing early Tuesday, around 2:35 a.m., and found a 43-year-old man suffering from stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said on Thursday.

Police confirmed Lee's identity in a statement late Wednesday and said the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail is investigating the incident.

"There is no place for this kind of violent crime against anyone in our city. I want to assure everyone that our investigators are working tirelessly to make an arrest and bring justice to Mr. Lee and his loved ones, just as we try to do on every homicide that occurs in our city," said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott in a statement.

Officers called for medics, who transported the victim to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, the police report said, adding that the victim ultimately died from the injuries.

"We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco," Jenkins said.

Bob Lee, Cash App founder and former Square executive, in an undated photo.
Handout

London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, said in a statement to ABC News that Lee's death marks a "horrible tragedy."

"My sympathies go out to his family and friends," Breed said. "The police are actively investigating what happened and will share details as soon as they can."

Lee served as the first chief technology officer at Square, a digital payment company founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

"Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature," Joshua Goldbard, the CEO of MobileCoin, told ABC News in a statement.

"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," Goldbard added.

In this photo illustration a Cash App logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen on a desk next to a Macbook in Athens, Greece, Oct. 4, 2022.
Illustration by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via AP, FILE

During the 2000s, Lee worked at Google, where he helped develop Android.

Cash App did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lee is survived by his wife, Krista, and their two children.

"Bob's real resume is the hearts and minds he touched in his time on earth," Goldbard said. "Bob's legacy is the feeling that you can make a difference if you try, and of course his amazing children."

ABC News' Annie Pong and Alex Stone contributed to reporting.

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