Cash App founder, Miami resident Bob Lee stabbed to death in San Francisco

MIAMI - Bob Lee, a technology executive who moved to Miami last October and who created Cash App and was currently chief product officer of MobileCoin, was fatally stabbed in San Francisco early Tuesday, according to the cryptocurrency platform and police.

The San Francisco Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to a report of a stabbing on Main Street at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday and found a 43-year-old man suffering from apparent stab wounds. The victim died at a hospital.

Police did not identify the victim but MobileCoin confirmed Lee's death to CBS News.

"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," MobileCoin CEO Josh Goldbard said in a statement.

"Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature," Goldbard wrote. "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."

Lee's father posted a statement on Facebook, confirming that his son had died "on the street in San Francisco."

"I just lost my best friend," Rick Lee wrote. He added "Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict, no-judgment philosophy. Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known." He said his son would be missed and he thanked everyone for their support.

Rick Lee said on Facebook that he and his son had moved to Mill Valley after Bob's mother died in 2019 and relocated to Miami in October of last year. Records show they lived in a condominium building on N.R. 18th St. and 4th Ave.

Lee's close friend Doug Dalton said "He brought people together. He brought technology together. He was a wonderful father. He was always doing the best he could. I feel like he had so much more to offer. This never should have happened."

Lee came to MobileCoin as an early-stage investor and advisor, then became chief product officer and helped launch the Moby app, Goldbard said. Lee was the chief technology officer at digital payments company Square in 2013 when it launched a money transfer application now known as Cash App.

The police statement did not provide any details on the circumstances of the stabbing.

"This is an open and active investigation. For that reason we are not releasing further information," Officer Niccole Pacchetti, a public information officer, said in an email. "We will provide further details when they become available."

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square (which is now called Block), responded to the news via a post early Wednesday on the decentralized social media app Nostr, CBS Bay Area reported.

"Heartbreaking," Dorsey wrote. "Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App."  

No arrest has been made in the case and San Francisco police haven't released any details about any possible suspects. 

On Twitter Tuesday evening, a flood of messages eulogized Lee. Many included his @crazybob Twitter handle.

In:
• Obituary
• Crime
• San Francisco