From www.sfchronicle.com

Fatal stabbing of former Square exec Bob Lee in San Francisco stuns tech community

The stabbing in San Francisco’s Rincon Point neighborhood ignited residents’ anxiety about crime and quality-of-life issues.

Photo of Jill Tucker

CashApp founder Bob Lee

CashApp founder Bob Lee

MobileCoin

The creator of Cash App and former chief technology officer at Square was killed in a stabbing Tuesday in San Francisco, according to people who knew him and police.

Bob Lee, 43, died at a hospital following the 2:35 a.m. attack on the 300 block of Main Street in the Rincon Point neighborhood. Police said they responded to a report of a stabbing and found Lee unconscious on the ground with two stab wounds in his chest. They called medics to the scene and started aid before rushing him to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died.

Homicide inspectors are investigating the killing of Lee, who after helping to build many companies including Square (now Block) became the chief product officer at cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin in late 2021.

No arrests had been announced as of 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, whose district includes Rincon Point, called the slaying a “senseless tragedy” and said hes been communicating with police about the status of the investigation.

While violent crime in San Francisco actually declined by 14%  from 2019 to 2022, the slaying inflamed fear and outcries about crime in the city, including social media messages from high-profile tech world figures such as Elon Musk, as well as others who knew Lee.

“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Musk wrote in a Twitter post early Wednesday morning. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.”

Another friend wrote on Twitter that he learned Lee was killed while walking in the city. Lee was apparently visiting San Francisco from Miami after moving there recently, according to friends and social media posts. He previously lived in Mill Valley, but sold his home for $4.4 million last year.

“He was in the ‘good’ part of the city and appeared to have been targeted in a random mugging/attack,” wrote UFC/MMA fighter Jake Shields.

Public officials also weighed in on the anxieties raised.

“I’ve heard from a number of my constituents in Rincon Point, South Beach and East Cut, many of whom have already voiced concerns to me about public safety challenges,” Dorsey contiued. “I understand their concerns, and I’m asking them to cooperate with police in their investigation, and make sure police have access to any surveillance video to which they may have access.”

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins expressed her condolences to family and friends.

“We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco,” she said in a tweet Wednesday morning.

Lee was highly regarded in the tech industry and among those who knew him well. Friends had nicknamed Lee “Crazy Bob,” Chan wrote, referring to his drive and infectious personality.

“He was a generous decent human being who didn’t deserve to be killed,” wrote Bill Barhydt, CEO of Abra, a crytocurrency company, on Twitter, noting that Lee was a father.

According to MobileCoin’s online profile of Lee, “Bob has diverse experience building both digital and physical products for a mobile-first world. He is most prominently known as the first CTO of Square, and the creator of Cash App (formerly Square Cash). Prior to Square, Bob was at Google leading Android’s core library team and launching the world’s most used operating system.”

More recently, Lee “has been exploring a range of technologies and services. He founded the social network Present, which leverages sophisticated location-based technology. He invested in and advised groundbreaking companies like Figma, Clubhouse, Beeper, and Faire. Bob also applied his expertise to the COVID-19 pandemic, from assisting the WHO with their mobile app to leading development for an at-home testing company.”

Venture capitalist Wesley Chan characterized Lee as a talented engineer who helped build Google’s Android operating system when the two worked together at the company. On top of his technical skill, Lee was a “brilliant investor” and a “resourceful person,” Chan wrote in a tribute posted Wednesday morning on LinkedIn.

“Saying Bob’s name in the the past tense feels ridiculous,” MobileCoin founder Joshua Goldbard wrote in an anguished tweet thread, in which he linked Lee’s slaying to deteriorating conditions in San Francisco, without going into detail. 

“As a lifelong Bay Area resident I have more questions than answers tonight,” Goldbard wrote. “I don’t know how to fix what’s wrong, but I know something isn’t working in our grey city.”

Anyone with information on the killing is asked to call the SFPD 24-hour Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. Callers may remain anonymous.   

This is a developing story. Check www.sfchronicle.com for updates.

Chronicle staff writer Rachel Swan contributed to this story.

Reach Jill Tucker: jtucker@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @jilltucker

Tech exec Bob Lee, creator of CashApp and former chief technology officer of Square killed in San Francisco stabbing

The post Tech exec Bob Lee, creator of CashApp and former chief technology officer of Square killed in San Francisco stabbing first appeared on www.sfchronicle.com

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