Cash App founder killed — latest: ‘Too early’ to tell if Bob Lee stabbing was random, San Francisco police say
The San Francisco police chief says he has “100% confidence” in his homicide unit amid criticism over slow progress in the investigation into the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
William Scott told CBS News that the department was continuing to chase promising leads.
“We have a lot on our plate with this investigation and following up things that need to be followed up on,” he said.
When asked if it was a random or targeted attack, Mr Scott said: “It’s too early to tell.”
Gruesome details continue to emerge about the murder which reportedly took place during an early morning mugging, but authorities have not said anything about being close to arresting a suspect.
Mr Lee was found mortally wounded outside a luxury residential building near Rincon Hill at 2.35am on Tuesday after bystanders allegedly failed to help the tech mogul as he looked for help.
The case has sparked fresh outrage over crime in the city, with friends revealing that Mr Lee had recently relocated to Miami for that reason.
“He did comment on San Francisco deteriorating,” a former MMA fighter and friend of Mr Lee, Jake Shields, told NewsNation.
Key Points
District Attorney says Bob Lee’s murder is 'going to take time to solve’
‘A small minority has tried to weaponize this tragedy,’ police commissioner says
Lee helped World Health Organisation develop mobile app during Covid-19 pandemic
‘He had a way of seeing the world that was enchanting'
What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
Former San Francisco DA slammed for decriminalizing ‘quality-of-life’ crimes
03:00 , Josh Marcus
Some have argued that the singling out of former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin is unfair, as one local prosecutor like Mr Boudin couldn’t be blamed for a city’s failure to ensure a social safety net.
“As a prosecutor, Boudin could not undo the root causes driving displacement,” the Vera Institute of Justice, a liberal criminal justice reform group, wrote in a post-mortem of the recall effort. “He decriminalized what are commonly referred to as ‘quality-of-life’ crimes, like public camping and public urination. He also sought alternatives to incarceration to address substance use, including investments in diversion programs proven to reduce harm.”
“Those policies drew the ire of people who wanted to police the housing crisis rather than invest in the public housing and support services needed to address it,” the group added.
Criticised ex-DA filed about as many charges as any other prosecutor since 2011
01:00 , Josh Marcus
Analysis from Mission Local shows that former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin filed about as many charges as any other prosecutor in the city since 2011, while city police data shows overall crime and larceny theft on a downward trend in the years before and during when Mr Boudin was in office.
In some categories, like burglary, crime did go up while Mr Boudin was in office, rising by 45 per cent, though it’s worth noting the DA was also in power during the immense social dislocation of the pandemic.
Critics like Elon Musk also appear to take issue with pre-trial release in California, where those accused of crimes can sometimes pay cash bail to be released until their case is over, or can otherwise by released by diversion programmes.
As The Appeal reports, median bail in California is more than five times the national level, keeping thousands of people in jail despite having not been convicted of a crime because they can’t afford release like their wealthier counterparts. According to research from UCLA, the statewide percentage of unsentenced people in California jail populations has been increasing since 2017.
San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins, who replaced Mr Boudin after the recall, has said she will continue his practice of rarely seeking cash bail.
‘Crazy Bob’
Saturday 8 April 2023 23:00 , Bevan Hurley
Bob Lee was a much-loved member of the San Francisco tech community, where he was affectionately known as Crazy Bob.
After working as an open source code developer in St Louis, Missouri, Mr Lee moved to San Francisco in his early 20s in 2004 to work as an engineer at Google, according to the San Francisco Standard. There he led a team that developed the first Android app.
Mr Lee was headhunted by Square, becoming its 13th employee, where he helped launch the Cash App and became the payment firm’s first chief technology officer in 2011, a Linkedin profile shows.
After leaving Square in 2014, he invested in several tech startups including Clubhouse, Beeper and Faire, and the female-focused social media and networking company Present. He identified as a “stay at home dad” in an online blog post during this period.
In 2021, Mr Lee joined MobileCoin, a crypto payment firm, as its chief product officer.
‘I can’t imagine a situation where he would instigate a conflict'
Saturday 8 April 2023 21:00 , AP
Lee was generous with his time coaching and championing fellow engineers and entrepreneurs, said Wesley Chan, co-founder of FPV Ventures. The two met more than a decade ago when they both worked at Google, where Lee helped to build the Android smartphone operating system before its 2008 release.
Lee’s death has further enflamed debate over public safety in San Francisco and its moribund downtown, which has not yet bounced back from the pandemic. Twitter’s owner Elon Musk took to the social media site to post that “violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.” Musk tagged the city’s district attorney in the post.
San Francisco suffers from property crime more than violent crime such as murder, rape, robbery and assault. In a statement, San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the homicide “a horrible tragedy” and said that the city is prioritizing public safety.
Longtime friend Tommy Sowers said it’s hard to picture what led to Lee’s violent death.
“I can’t imagine a situation where he would instigate a conflict,” he said. “That’s the tragedy of it.”
Music mogul’s Democrat daughter blames liberal politicians for San Francisco Cash App founder stabbing
Saturday 8 April 2023 19:00 , Gustaf.Kilander
Actor and model Sara Foster has blamed the “liberal” politicians leading San Francisco following the stabbing death of the co-founder of Cash App Bob Lee.
The tech guru called 911 and said he was bleeding out as he lay dying from his wounds on a street in the city, new audio has revealed.
Police found the 43-year-old unconscious on the pavement at around 2.40am on Tuesday, about six minutes after he called the emergency services to say that he had been attacked and was bleeding heavily, according to The San Francisco Standard.
Mr Lee was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he passed away.
Ms Foster reacted to Mr Lee’s death in an Instagram story, writing:
“I have no words. SF is a complete s***hole. I am a registered Democrat and feel confident saying liberal politicians are ruining cities”.
“Disgusting. My heart breaks for this family,” she added.
Read more:
Music mogul’s daughter blames liberal politicians for Cash App founder stabbing
A tech CEO has been murdered and Elon Musk blames San Francisco’s ‘horrific’ rise in crime. Is he right?
Saturday 8 April 2023 17:00 , Josh Marcus
Bob Lee, the founder of the Cash App, was stabbed to death in San Francisco in an apparently random early morning mugging on Tuesday, according to friends and colleagues.
The well-respected tech executive, who also served previous roles at companies Square and Block, was mourned by members of the tech community in San Francisco and beyond, including Twitter owner Elon Musk, who vented his frustrations about the city’s violent crime.
“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Mr Musk tweeted on Wednesday. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.”
Read more:
Elon Musk blames ‘horrific’ San Francisco for a tech guru’s murder. Is he right?
VIDEO: San Francisco city leaders hold public town hall on safety
Saturday 8 April 2023 15:00 , The Independent
‘Too early’ to tell if Bob Lee stabbing was random, SF police chief says
Saturday 8 April 2023 14:25 , Bevan Hurley
The San Francisco police chief says he has “100% confidence” in his homicide unit amid criticism over slow progress in the investigation into the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
Bill Scott told CBS News that the department was continuing to chase promising leads.
“We have a lot on our plate with this investigation and following up things that need to be followed up on,” he said.
When asked if it was a random or targeted attack, Mr Scott said: “It’s too early to tell.”
San Francisco residents have voiced their fear and frustration with police and the city’s leadership since Lee was stabbed to death early on Tuesday morning.
Father of slain Cash App founder Bob Lee says he ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
Saturday 8 April 2023 13:00 , Bevan Hurley
The father of murdered tech mogul Bob Lee says he has lost his best friend as San Francisco police continue to hunt for suspects in the “random killing”.
Rick Lee paid tribute to his 43-year-old son in a Facebook post on Wednesday, a day after after he was stabbed to death in downtown San Francisco at around 2.30am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Lee wrote that the pair had lived together in Mill Valley, California, since the death of his wife in 2019, before relocating to Miami in October last year.
“Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy,” his father wrote.
Read more:
Cash App founder Bob Lee’s father says he ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
Shocking video appears to show onlookers ignore dying Cash App founder as he begs for help
Saturday 8 April 2023 11:00 , Bevan Hurley
Clutching one side of his body where he is bleeding heavily from stab wounds, tech executive Bob Lee appears to approach a parked car in urgent need of medical care.
The 43-year-old father of two lifts his shirt to show the driver the extent of his injuries, but rather than help, the motorist speeds off.
Lee’s last tragic moments as he stumbled down Main St in San Francisco’s downtown district at 2.30am on Tuesday in search of help were captured on surveillance footage and viewed by journalists from The San Francisco Standard.
He was discovered at 2.35am outside a luxury residential building on the 300 block of Main St, near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge.
The footage initially shows Lee walking along a deserted sidewalk on Main St with his mobile phone in one hand and holding his side with the other, The Standard reports.
The Cash App founder then crosses at the intersection with Harrison St toward where a white Toyota Camry with flashing lights is parked.
Read more:
Shocking video appears to show onlookers ignore dying Cash App founder Bob Lee
Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey react after Cash App founder’s murder in San Francisco
Saturday 8 April 2023 09:00 , Bevan Hurley
Elon Musk claimed many of his San Francisco friends have been “severely assaulted” after Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death in the city on Tuesday.
The Twitter CEO offered his condolences to the 43-year-old’s grieving friends and called on San Francisco district attorney Brooke Jenkins to take tougher action against violent criminals.
“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,’ Mr Musk tweeted. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders Brooke Jenkins?”
Mr Lee was found with fatal knife wounds outside a luxury apartment complex at 300 Main St, between Soma and the Financial District, at 2.35am on Tuesday.
Read more:
Elon Musk reacts after Cash App founder Bob Lee stabbed to death in Rincon Hill
San Francisco Police Department short of 548 officers even as applications increase
Saturday 8 April 2023 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The San Francisco Police Department is short of 548 officers even as applications increase, Chief Bill Scott has said.
“Our applications have gone up we’re double where we were last year on applications,” he said, according to ABC7.
Supervisor Joel Engardio represents the largest neighbourhood in the city, the Sunset District.
“I want to point out some good news. We have got to think about some good news today. I’m hopeful because you see our district attorney and our police chief sitting together here ... I cannot emphasize enough how important this is,” he said on Thursday night.
“We have to do all this together because we do well when we can do it together but we still have a long way to go,” Shief Scott added.
Sunset District residents criticise lack of focus on crime in neigbourhood
Saturday 8 April 2023 05:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Residents of the Sunset District in San Francisco have criticised the lack of focus on crime in the neighbourhood following the stabbing of tech executive Bob Lee.
“The focus has been on downtown and that’s not all of San Francisco. San Francisco has neighbourhoods, they need to be equally represented in terms of police, fire, the works,” Helen Smith told ABC7.
“We don’t have the right number of policemen,” she added.
“Right now, all the places are not safe, even in the Sunset that’s why we [are] concerned about it,” Elaine Trang said.
‘There’s evidence that we found that I can’t talk about,’ police chief says
Saturday 8 April 2023 04:00 , Gustaf Kilander
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said during a community meeting on Thursday night that “we’re investigating this as a murder absolutely. There’s evidence that we found that I can’t talk about because we don’t want to jeopardize this case”.
“There are some good developments in this case, I apologize but that’s as much as I can say at this point,” he added, according to ABC7.
A tech CEO has been murdered and Elon Musk blames San Francisco’s ‘horrific’ rise in crime. Is he right?
Saturday 8 April 2023 03:30 , Josh Marcus
Bob Lee, the founder of the Cash App, was stabbed to death in San Francisco in an apparently random early morning mugging on Tuesday, according to friends and colleagues.
The well-respected tech executive, who also served previous roles at companies Square and Block, was mourned by members of the tech community in San Francisco and beyond, including Twitter owner Elon Musk, who vented his frustrations about the city’s violent crime.
“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Mr Musk tweeted on Wednesday. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.”
Read more:
Elon Musk blames ‘horrific’ San Francisco for a tech guru’s murder. Is he right?
Cash App founder Bob Lee left San Francisco over crime but was back to visit when he was stabbed, says friend
Saturday 8 April 2023 03:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Cash App founder Bob Lee had relocated to Miami from San Francisco due to fears of rising crime but was back visiting the California city when he was stabbed to death in an apparent random mugging, according to a friend.
The tech mogul was found at 2.35am Tuesday outside a luxury high-rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge, with life-threatening stab wounds, the police said.
Lee’s friend and mixed martial arts champion Jake Shields said that the entrepreneur had just moved to Miami due to a rise in drug abuse and crime in San Francisco.
He told NewsNation that the attack was another “senseless act of violence in San Francisco”.
“He did comment on San Francisco deteriorating, which is why he had actually just relocated to Miami,” Mr Shields said.
Read more:
Slain tech mogul Bob Lee had left San Francisco over crime, says friend
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco due to rising crime rate
Saturday 8 April 2023 02:30 , Shweta Sharma
Bob Lee, who was the founder of the multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, had relocated to Miami and was reportedly staying an extra day in San Francisco where he was stabbed to death on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old tech mogul was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
Lee was the chief product officer of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin and an active investor in companies such as SpaceX, Clubhouse, and Figma.
Lee was a much-loved member of the San Francisco tech community, where he was affectionately known as Crazy Bob.
He is survived by two young daughters and his wife Krista.
Read more:
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco
Bob Lee: A genius tech visionary killed in a ‘horrifying act of violence’
Saturday 8 April 2023 02:00 , Bevan Hurley
The outpouring of tributes, memories and anecdotes that have streamed over social media since tech pioneer Bob Lee was stabbed to death tell of a genius engineer, a serial innovator, a loving family man, and, as his nickname Crazy Bob would suggest, someone with a sense of humour.
Friends told how Lee dropped out of St Louis University, Missouri, and through sheer brilliance at computer coding and a determination to improve the lives of others went on to develop digital tools such as Google’s Android and the Cash App that are now used by tens of millions of people each day.
He had a “kaleidoscopic mind” who moved seamlessly between different circles of friends, wrote Joshua Goldbard, the founder and chief executive of MobileCoin, where Lee had worked as chief product officer since 2021.
“Pick a topic and Bob would be right there with you telling you all of the ways he had thought about the idea already,” Mr Goldbard said on Twitter. “He had a way of seeing the world that was enchanting. He was a visionary in so many ways.”
Read more:
Bob Lee: A genius tech visionary killed in a ‘horrifying act of violence’
Random attack?
Saturday 8 April 2023 01:30 , Bevan Hurley
The San Francisco Police Department said in a statement that Lee was found with two stab wounds to the chest in Downtown San Francisco between Soma and the Financial District, a block from Google’s San Francisco headquarters.
Friend and MMA fighter Jake Shields tweeted that Lee appeared to have been the victim of a random mugging in the “good part of the city”.
The tweet caught the attention of Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who offered his condolences and called on San Francisco district attorney Brooke Jenkins to take tougher action against violent criminals.
“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Mr Musk tweeted. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders Brooke Jenkins?”
Ms Jenkins later tweeted her “sincerest condolences” to Lee’s grief-stricken family and friends.
“We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco,” she added.
Responding to Mr Musk, she said: “No one who commits a violent crime, or who’s a repeat offender are receiving overly lenient plea deals.”
San Francisco Police have not made any arrests, and haven’t provided any details of suspects.
San Francisco police chief William Scott declined to say whether the stabbing was a random attack in his first public comments at a Police Commission meeting on Wednesday night, The San Francisco Standard reported.
At the same meeting San Francisco Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto said it was “premature and distasteful to try to fit this horrifying act of violence into a preconceived narrative and use it to advance a political agenda”.
Chief Scott later released a statement saying that the investigation was “still in the early stages” and extended his condolences to “the family, friends and loved ones of Mr Lee.”
“There is no place for violent crime against anyone in our city,” Mr Scott said. “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.”
What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
Saturday 8 April 2023 01:00 , Bevan Hurley
High-profile tech entrepreneur Bob Lee was stabbed to death outside an apartment building in San Francisco early on Tuesday morning, grieving friends and family have confirmed.
The 43-year-old was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St, near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge, with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
The tech executive was treated at the scene by first responders before being rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries, police said. No arrests have been made.
Here’s what we know so far about the murder:
What happened to Cash App founder Bob Lee?
No arrests 72 hours after Cash App creator Bob Lee stabbed to death in San Francisco
Saturday 8 April 2023 00:30 , Bevan Hurley
Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death in San Francisco in an apparent random mugging early on Tuesday morning, friends and colleagues have confirmed.
Lee was found at 2.35am outside the luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St, near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge, with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
The 43-year-old tech executive was treated at the scene by first responders before being rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries, police said. More than two days on, no arrests have been made and police are yet to release information about possible suspects.
Lee founded the Cash App while working at Square, which was renamed Block in 2021, before becoming chief technology officer at the Jack Dorsey-led digital payment giant.
Read more:
Cash App founder Bob Lee called 911 and said he was bleeding out as he lay dying on a San Francisco street
Saturday 8 April 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Tech guru Bob Lee called 911 and said he was bleeding out as he lay dying from stab wounds on a San Francisco street, new audio revealed.
Police found the 43-year-old unconscious on the pavement at around 2.40am on Tuesday, about six minutes after he called 911 to say that he had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily, according to The San Francisco Standard.
Lee was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he passed away.
Little information has been released about the stabbing and the authorities haven’t shared any details about a possible suspect.
Lee was the chief product officer at MobileCoin – a crypto company, a former executive at Square – a payment firm now called Block, and the founder of Cash App, also a payment app.
Read more:
Bob Lee told 911 he was bleeding out as he lay dying on San Francisco street
VIDEO: SFPD searching for leads to catch killer of Cash App's Bob Lee
Friday 7 April 2023 23:30 , The Independent
Silicon Valley executives blames San Francisco mayor for Bob Lee’s death
Friday 7 April 2023 23:00 , Bevan Hurley
Silicon Valley executives laid the blame for Lee’s death on Mayor London Breed, the city’s former progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the Board of Supervisors.
“Congratulations, your policies have claimed another life,” wrote Alan Alden, a Palo Alto financier who was friends with Lee.
Venture capitalist Matt Ocko, another friend, wrote on Twitter that “Chesa Boudin, & the criminal-loving city council that enabled him & a lawless SF for years, have Bob’s literal blood on their hands”.
Convenience store owner says ‘we’ve never seen anything like this’
Friday 7 April 2023 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Bob Lee was staying at the One Hotel, about half a mile from where he was found.
Sam Habash has operated a convenience store for almost 20 years located across the street from the apartment building in Portside where Mr Lee was discovered.
“This doesn’t happen a lot around here,” he told ABC7. “We’ve never seen anything like this ... this is too much, my condolences to the family.”
‘Horrifying act of violence’
Friday 7 April 2023 22:00 , Bevan Hurley
The 43-year-old’s fatal stabbing in downtown San Francisco early on Tuesday morning has ignited a sense of fury among the tech community at police and city leaders.
Tragically, friends say Lee left San Francisco due to increasing crime rates and had just returned for a business trip when he was attacked on Tuesday morning.
Lee’s last tragic moments as he stumbled, normally wounded, down Main St in San Francisco’s downtown district at 2.30am on Tuesday in search of help were captured on surveillance footage and viewed by journalists from The San Francisco Standard. The Independent has not corroborated the footage.
Cameras reportedly captured Lee clutching one side of his body from where he is bleeding heavily and showed him approaching a white Toyota Camry parked on the side of the road with its lights flashing.
He lifts his shirt to show the driver the extent of his injuries, but rather than help, the motorist speeds off.
Lee could be heard pleading for help on a 911 call made at 2.34am, according to The Standard.
District Attorney says Bob Lee’s murder is 'going to take time to solve’
Friday 7 April 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told ABC7 that “anytime we have somebody who has committed murder, we should all be concerned if they are out and about on our streets. That is why SFPD is working so hard to solve this case ... Unfortunately, this is one that’s going to take time to solve”.
She was asked by the outlet if she would “consider it unusual for a kitchen knife to be used in an alleged targeted attack?”
“As a former prosecutor in our homicide unit, I have seen murders committed in all various types of ways. Oftentimes people who choose to commit murder choose to do it in ways they believe they can more successfully get away with it,” Ms Jenkins said
“I would ask that people not rush to judgment about the circumstances of this murder, we have nothing about how this happened, whether this was a repeat offender or a targeted attack,” she added.
Influential startup investor
Friday 7 April 2023 21:00 , Bevan Hurley
Lee was also an influential startup investor, ploughing money into nascent companies such as Clubhouse, SpaceX and and the female-focused social media and networking company Present.
In 2021, he joined MobileCoin, a crypto payment firm, as its chief product officer, where he helped launch Moby a crypto and payment app.
After the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency giant FTX in late 2022, Lee explained that he had lost his personal deposits in the firm and was unlikely to get them back.
“This is why we made Moby — to make holding your own money as easy as centralised solutions,” he wrote on Twitter.
‘A small minority has tried to weaponize this tragedy,’ police commissioner says
Friday 7 April 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander
The San Francisco police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto said at a meeting of the commission earlier this week that some social media users “are exploiting this horrific incident for political gain”.
“A small minority has tried to weaponize this tragedy to advance a narrative about a crime wave that just isn’t borne out by the data in San Francisco,” he added on Thursday, according to The New York Times.
“There are real problems about crime that need to be addressed in San Francisco,” he told the paper. “But you’re seeing people from tech, from certain political circles, who are trying to draw explicit connections to certain policies and elected officials when we don’t even yet know the facts of the case.”
Father and brother pays tribute to slain tech executive
Friday 7 April 2023 20:00 , Bevan Hurley
In a Facebook post, his father Rick Lee wrote that he had moved in with Bob when his mother Nannette died in 2019.
“Life has been an adventure with two bachelors living together, and I’m so happy that we were able to become so close these last years,” his father Rick Lee wrote in a Facebook post. “Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy.”
The father and son relocated to Miami last year, Rick wrote.
In a separate tribute, his brother Tim Oliver Lee wrote on Facebook: “I was so fortunate to grow up with him, and I feel like I’ve lost part of myself.”
Prolific user of social media
Friday 7 April 2023 19:30 , Bevan Hurley
Lee was a prolific user of social media. On Twitter and Facebook, he showed a strong social conscience on issues such as police brutality, racial equity and Covid misinformation.
Lee shared hundreds of photos of his life on a personal Flickr account. The snaps portray a global traveller who enjoyed to party hard with friends, and a doting father to his daughters Dagny and Scout, who would code late into the night with a newborn child on his lap. He and wife Krista reportedly separated in 2019.
‘Of course Bob knows Lars’
Friday 7 April 2023 19:00 , Bevan Hurley
A common theme in the many online eulogies is Lee’s penchant for bringing diverse groups of friends together.
On Hacker News, Lee’s friend Harper Reed recalled going to an invite-only Metallica show in Iowa in the 2010s.
“I told Bob about it and he introduced me to Lars,” Mr Reed wrote. Lars being Lars Ulrich, the drummer and songwriter from Metallica. “Lol. Of course Bob knows Lars and is just going to introduce me.”
After he had made his mark at Google and begun his work revolutionising peer-to-peer payments, he would still make time to mentor young talent, friends said.
“Everyone revered him, and yet, he was just a normal guy (lol nothing about bob was normal),” Mr Reed wrote on Twitter.
Lee helped World Health Organisation develop mobile app during Covid-19 pandemic
Friday 7 April 2023 18:30 , Bevan Hurley
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey described Lee’s death as “heartbreaking” in a social media post, and wrote that he was instrumental to the company’s growth and success.
Lee also helped the World Health Organisation develop its mobile app during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a profile on MobileCoin.
In dozens of posts on his Crazy Bob blog dating back to the mid 2000s, Lee displayed an intense curiosity about the world around him and was generous in sharing his discoveries.
He was constantly innovating; writing a programme to help Twitter users find like-minded followers, sharing tips on the latest iPhone camera, and discussing complex coding issues.
The nickname, Crazy Bob, was a reference to his days playing waterpolo at St Louis University, according to Mr Goldbard.
VIDEO: Outcry over crime following tech exec's death in San Francisco
Friday 7 April 2023 18:00 , The Independent
Bob Lee ‘was willing to play around and share his knowledge'
Friday 7 April 2023 17:30 , Bevan Hurley
Lee first got noticed in the tech world as a hacker and open source code developer as a teenager in St Louis, Missouri, in the 1990s, friends said.
“He participated in hackathons and was willing to play around and share his knowledge,” one noted in a lengthy thread of tributes on Hacker News.
After college, he worked as a technical architect for AT&T in St Louis and became an expert in Java programming.
Lee moved to San Francisco in his early 20s in 2004 to work at Google where he led a team that developed Android, an operating system for smartphones.
In 2010, Lee was headhunted by Square, which was renamed Block in 2021, where he helped launch the Cash App, which is used by tens of millions to make digital money transfers. He became the firm’s first chief technology officer in 2011, a Linkedin profile shows.
In 2013, Lee made the first ever payment on the Cash App when he sent $4 to Jack Dorsey, the Twitter founder and chairman of Block, who shared a screenshot of the transaction on social media.
‘He had a way of seeing the world that was enchanting'
Friday 7 April 2023 17:00 , Bevan Hurley
The outpouring of tributes, memories and anecdotes that have streamed over social media since tech pioneer Bob Lee was stabbed to death tell of a genius engineer, a serial innovator, a loving family man, and, as his nickname Crazy Bob would suggest, someone with a sense of humour.
Friends told how Lee dropped out of St Louis University, Missouri, and through sheer brilliance at computer coding and a determination to improve the lives of others went on to develop digital tools such as Google’s Android and the Cash App that are now used by tens of millions of people each day.
He had a “kaleidoscopic mind” who moved seamlessly between different circles of friends, wrote Joshua Goldbard, the founder and chief executive of MobileCoin, where Lee had worked as chief product officer since 2021.
“Pick a topic and Bob would be right there with you telling you all of the ways he had thought about the idea already,” Mr Goldbard said on Twitter. “He had a way of seeing the world that was enchanting. He was a visionary in so many ways.”
What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
Friday 7 April 2023 16:30 , Bevan Hurley
High-profile tech entrepreneur Bob Lee was stabbed to death outside an apartment building in San Francisco early on Tuesday morning, grieving friends and family have confirmed.
The 43-year-old was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St, near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge, with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
The tech executive was treated at the scene by first responders before being rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries, police said. No arrests have been made.
Here’s what we know so far about the murder:
What happened to Cash App founder Bob Lee?
Cash App founder Bob Lee called 911 and said he was bleeding out as he lay dying on a San Francisco street
Friday 7 April 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Tech guru Bob Lee called 911 and said he was bleeding out as he lay dying from stab wounds on a San Francisco street, new audio revealed.
Police found the 43-year-old unconscious on the pavement at around 2.40am on Tuesday, about six minutes after he called 911 to say that he had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily, according to The San Francisco Standard.
Lee was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he passed away.
Little information has been released about the stabbing and the authorities haven’t shared any details about a possible suspect.
Lee was the chief product officer at MobileCoin – a crypto company, a former executive at Square – a payment firm now called Block, and the founder of Cash App, also a payment app.
Read more:
Bob Lee told 911 he was bleeding out as he lay dying on San Francisco street
‘I can’t imagine a situation where he would instigate a conflict'
Friday 7 April 2023 15:30 , AP
Lee was generous with his time coaching and championing fellow engineers and entrepreneurs, said Wesley Chan, co-founder of FPV Ventures. The two met more than a decade ago when they both worked at Google, where Lee helped to build the Android smartphone operating system before its 2008 release.
Lee’s death has further enflamed debate over public safety in San Francisco and its moribund downtown, which has not yet bounced back from the pandemic. Twitter’s owner Elon Musk took to the social media site to post that “violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.” Musk tagged the city’s district attorney in the post.
San Francisco suffers from property crime more than violent crime such as murder, rape, robbery and assault. In a statement, San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the homicide “a horrible tragedy” and said that the city is prioritizing public safety.
Longtime friend Tommy Sowers said it’s hard to picture what led to Lee’s violent death.
“I can’t imagine a situation where he would instigate a conflict,” he said. “That’s the tragedy of it.”
Lee defied arrogant and self-centered ‘tech bro’ stereotype, friend says
Friday 7 April 2023 15:00 , AP
Lee defied the arrogant and self-centered “tech bro” stereotype affixed to certain men in the San Francisco Bay Area tech scene, and instead exuded an “innate kindness,” said longtime friend Tommy Sowers.
Sowers and Lee first met at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., where Sowers, a former Green Beret and Iraq war veteran, was running for Congress. Lee, newly hired at Square, was touting an app that could help his campaign fundraising. Both men were from Missouri.
Lee’s two children joined the men on hikes and dinners. It was not unusual for Lee to be out late, said Sowers, and he loved San Francisco.
“I’d want to go to bed at like 9. He talked me into going someplace till midnight, and then he’d be like, ‘Well, there’s another one,’ and you’d go to that. And he’s like, ‘There’s another one.’ He just had real boundless energy.”
Part of those late-night sessions involved talking about technology, including San Francisco’s unique role far away from the political power in Washington and the big money in New York.
“San Francisco is all about the idea, and you’re as good as your current or next idea,” said Sowers, who, with Lee’s counsel, went on to start his own real estate technology company and now works for a North Carolina-based private jet company.
Sowers said he doesn’t know the origins of the “Crazy Bob” handle Lee used on Twitter.
“But it fit. Not in a way of being reckless, but, he was kind of up for anything.”
Police chief ‘hopeful’ about stabbing investigation as scrutiny grows
Friday 7 April 2023 14:30 , Megan Sheets
More than 72 hours have now passed since Cash App founder Bob Lee was found mortally wounded outside a luxury building in San Francisco - and still no suspects have been identified nor arrests made.
As scrutiny over the investigation continues to mount, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott cautiously assured that some progress is being made.
“We have some leads to follow up on,” he said Thursday.
“I can’t disclose what those are now, it’s early on in the investigation. But I’m hopeful and I’m very confident.”
The stabbing is thought to have occurred during a random mugging after 2am on Tuesday.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told ABC7 that she has received no information suggesting Lee was intentionally targeted.
Father of slain Cash App founder Bob Lee says he ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
Friday 7 April 2023 14:00 , Bevan Hurley
The father of murdered tech mogul Bob Lee says he has lost his best friend as San Francisco police continue to hunt for suspects in the “random killing”.
Rick Lee paid tribute to his 43-year-old son in a Facebook post on Wednesday, a day after after he was stabbed to death in downtown San Francisco at around 2.30am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Lee wrote that the pair had lived together in Mill Valley, California, since the death of his wife in 2019, before relocating to Miami in October last year.
“Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy,” his father wrote.
Read more:
Cash App founder Bob Lee’s father says he ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
Cash App founder Bob Lee left San Francisco over crime but was back to visit when he was stabbed, says friend
Friday 7 April 2023 13:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Cash App founder Bob Lee had relocated to Miami from San Francisco due to fears of rising crime but was back visiting the California city when he was stabbed to death in an apparent random mugging, according to a friend.
The tech mogul was found at 2.35am Tuesday outside a luxury high-rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge, with life-threatening stab wounds, the police said.
Lee’s friend and mixed martial arts champion Jake Shields said that the entrepreneur had just moved to Miami due to a rise in drug abuse and crime in San Francisco.
He told NewsNation that the attack was another “senseless act of violence in San Francisco”.
“He did comment on San Francisco deteriorating, which is why he had actually just relocated to Miami,” Mr Shields said.
Read more:
Slain tech mogul Bob Lee had left San Francisco over crime, says friend
Police chief ‘hopeful’ about stabbing investigation as scrutiny grows
Friday 7 April 2023 12:30 , Megan Sheets
More than 72 hours have now passed since Cash App founder Bob Lee was found mortally wounded outside a luxury building in San Francisco - and still no suspects have been identified nor arrests made.
As scrutiny over the investigation continues to mount, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott cautiously assured that some progress is being made.
“We have some leads to follow up on,” he said Thursday.
“I can’t disclose what those are now, it’s early on in the investigation. But I’m hopeful and I’m very confident.”
The stabbing is thought to have occurred during a random mugging after 2am on Tuesday.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told ABC7 that she has received no information suggesting Lee was intentionally targeted.
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco due to rising crime rate
Friday 7 April 2023 12:00 , Shweta Sharma
Bob Lee, who was the founder of the multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, had relocated to Miami and was reportedly staying an extra day in San Francisco where he was stabbed to death on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old tech mogul was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
Lee was the chief product officer of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin and an active investor in companies such as SpaceX, Clubhouse, and Figma.
Lee was a much-loved member of the San Francisco tech community, where he was affectionately known as Crazy Bob.
He is survived by two young daughters and his wife Krista.
Read more:
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco
What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
Friday 7 April 2023 11:00 , Bevan Hurley
High-profile tech entrepreneur Bob Lee was stabbed to death outside an apartment building in San Francisco early on Tuesday morning, grieving friends and family have confirmed.
The 43-year-old was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St, near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge, with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
The tech executive was treated at the scene by first responders before being rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries, police said. No arrests have been made.
Here’s what we know so far about the murder:
What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
‘We’ve lost a great innovator, intelligence, and spirit'
Friday 7 April 2023 10:00 , AP
Prominent venture capitalist Ron Conway, founder of the San Francisco-based investment firm SV Angel, tweeted Wednesday that Lee’s loss was an immense tragedy.
“Deepest condolences to Bob’s family and to the entire tech community,” Conway said. “Remembering fondly when Bob gave an inspiring talk at our CEO Summit. We’ve lost a great innovator, intelligence, and spirit. Praying a suspect is apprehended swiftly.”
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.”
‘His resume reads something like a Fortune cover article'
Friday 7 April 2023 09:00 , AP
Among the tech leaders to share their devastation about Lee’s death was venture capitalist Wesley Chan, co-founder of FPV Ventures. Chan said he befriended Lee more than a decade ago when they both worked at Google, at a time when software engineers like Lee were helping to build the Android smartphone operating system before its 2008 release.
“He was an incredibly iconic founder in the tech world,” Chan said by phone Wednesday. “He wrote large parts of Android when he was at Google. He became the CTO of Square and helped build Cash App. His resume reads something like a Fortune cover article.”
But Chan said Lee was also generous in helping to coach and champion other engineers and tech entrepreneurs who’d call on him for advice. And he was modest about his key role in developing successful products, such as the widely used Cash App.
“With everything that Bob worked on, it was always a pleasant surprise,” Chan said. “That’s one of the things I loved about him. He was always humble about it, he’d say, ‘Oh, I don’t know if it’s going to work or not, but we’ll try.’”
Police Commissioner calls using death of tech mogul for ‘political agenda’ is ‘distasteful'
Friday 7 April 2023 08:00 , Gustaf Kilander
San Francisco Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto said on Wednesday that “we don’t know all the facts ... But I find it premature and distasteful to try to fit this horrifying act of violence into a preconceived narrative and use it to advance a political agenda”.
WATCH: San Francisco Police Commissioner @KevinMBenedicto speaks on Bob Lee killing.
"We don't know all the facts...But I find it premature and distasteful to try to fit this horrifying act of violence into a preconceived narrative and use it to advance a political agenda." pic.twitter.com/6fDB5VD1pQ— The San Francisco Standard (@sfstandard) April 6, 2023
San Francisco Mayor says Bob Lee’s death is a 'horrible tragedy’
Friday 7 April 2023 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander
London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, said in a statement that “the homicide of Bob Lee is a horrible tragedy and my sympathies go out to his family and friends”.
“The Police are actively investigating what happened and will share details as soon as they can,” she added. “San Francisco is prioritizing public safety, including recently passing our budget supplemental so we have the police staffing necessary to have more police officers in our neighborhoods and to investigate violent crimes when they do occur.”
“I’m confident that when the Police make an arrest in cases like this, our District Attorney will do what’s necessary to hold any individuals accountable for their actions,” Ms Breed said.
‘Crazy Bob’
Friday 7 April 2023 06:00 , Bevan Hurley
Bob Lee was a much-loved member of the San Francisco tech community, where he was affectionately known as Crazy Bob.
After working as an open source code developer in St Louis, Missouri, Mr Lee moved to San Francisco in his early 20s in 2004 to work as an engineer at Google, according to the San Francisco Standard. There he led a team that developed the first Android app.
Mr Lee was headhunted by Square, becoming its 13th employee, where he helped launch the Cash App and became the payment firm’s first chief technology officer in 2011, a Linkedin profile shows.
After leaving Square in 2014, he invested in several tech startups including Clubhouse, Beeper and Faire, and the female-focused social media and networking company Present. He identified as a “stay at home dad” in an online blog post during this period.
In 2021, Mr Lee joined MobileCoin, a crypto payment firm, as its chief product officer.
VIDEO: Growing calls for justice in deadly stabbing of Cash App founder
Friday 7 April 2023 05:00 , The Independent
Onlookers ignored Lee’s plea for help
Friday 7 April 2023 04:30 , Bevan Hurley
Surveillance footage appears to capture Mr Lee approach a parked car clutching one side of his body and bleeding heavily from stab wounds.
The 43-year-old father of two lifts his shirt to show the driver the extent of his injuries, but rather than help, the motorist speeds off.
Those last tragic moments as he stumbled down Main St in San Francisco’s downtown district at 2.30am on Tuesday in search of help were caught on CCTV and viewed by journalists from The San Francisco Standard.
The footage initially shows Mr Lee walking along a deserted sidewalk on Main St with his mobile phone in one hand and holding his side with the other, The Standard reports.
The Cash App founder then crosses at the intersection with Harrison St toward where a white Toyota Camry with flashing lights is parked.
The footage reportedly shows Mr Lee lift up his shirt in a plea for help, and then fall to the ground as the driver pulls away.
Mr Lee then gets back to his feet and starts to retraces his steps along Main St in the direction of the Bay Bridge before collapsing again outside of the Portside apartment building at 403 Main St.
The Standard reported that it witnessed staff members cleaning what appeared to be blood from the side of the building on Wednesday.
Random attack?
Friday 7 April 2023 04:00 , Bevan Hurley
The San Francisco Police Department said in a statement that Mr Lee was found with fatal stab wounds in Downtown San Francisco between Soma and the Financial District, a block from Google’s San Francisco headquarters.
Friend and MMA fighter Jake Shields tweeted that Mr Lee appeared to have been the victim of a random mugging in the “good part of the city”.
The tweet caught the attention of Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who offered his condolences and called on San Francisco district attorney Brooke Jenkins to take tougher action against violent criminals.
“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Mr Musk tweeted. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders Brooke Jenkins?”
Ms Jenkins later tweeted her “sincerest condolences” to Mr Lee’s grief-stricken family and friends.
“We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco,” she added.
Responding to Mr Musk, she said: “No one who commits a violent crime, or who’s a repeat offender are receiving overly lenient plea deals.”
San Francisco Police said they have not made any arrests, and haven’t provided any details of suspects.
In their statement, the SFPD said responding officers had found a 43-year-old victim with stab wounds: “Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite efforts by first responders and medical personnel, the victim succumbed to his injuries.”
Criticised ex-DA filed about as many charges as any other prosecutor since 2011
Friday 7 April 2023 03:30 , Josh Marcus
Analysis from Mission Local shows that former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin filed about as many charges as any other prosecutor in the city since 2011, while city police data shows overall crime and larceny theft on a downward trend in the years before and during when Mr Boudin was in office.
In some categories, like burglary, crime did go up while Mr Boudin was in office, rising by 45 per cent, though it’s worth noting the DA was also in power during the immense social dislocation of the pandemic.
Critics like Elon Musk also appear to take issue with pre-trial release in California, where those accused of crimes can sometimes pay cash bail to be released until their case is over, or can otherwise by released by diversion programmes.
As The Appeal reports, median bail in California is more than five times the national level, keeping thousands of people in jail despite having not been convicted of a crime because they can’t afford release like their wealthier counterparts. According to research from UCLA, the statewide percentage of unsentenced people in California jail populations has been increasing since 2017.
San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins, who replaced Mr Boudin after the recall, has said she will continue his practice of rarely seeking cash bail.
Former San Francisco DA slammed for decriminalizing ‘quality-of-life’ crimes
Friday 7 April 2023 03:00 , Josh Marcus
Some have argued that the singling out of former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin is unfair, as one local prosecutor like Mr Boudin couldn’t be blamed for a city’s failure to ensure a social safety net.
“As a prosecutor, Boudin could not undo the root causes driving displacement,” the Vera Institute of Justice, a liberal criminal justice reform group, wrote in a post-mortem of the recall effort. “He decriminalized what are commonly referred to as ‘quality-of-life’ crimes, like public camping and public urination. He also sought alternatives to incarceration to address substance use, including investments in diversion programs proven to reduce harm.”
“Those policies drew the ire of people who wanted to police the housing crisis rather than invest in the public housing and support services needed to address it,” the group added.
Father of slain Cash App founder Bob Lee says he ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
Friday 7 April 2023 02:30 , Bevan Hurley
The father of murdered tech mogul Bob Lee says he has lost his best friend as San Francisco police continue to hunt for suspects in the “random killing”.
Rick Lee paid tribute to his 43-year-old son in a Facebook post on Wednesday, a day after after he was stabbed to death in downtown San Francisco at around 2.30am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Lee wrote that the pair had lived together in Mill Valley, California, since the death of his wife in 2019, before relocating to Miami in October last year.
“Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy,” his father wrote.
Read more:
Cash App founder Bob Lee’s father says he ‘would give you the shirt off his back’
Bob Lee: Shocking video appears to show onlookers ignore dying Cash App founder as he begs for help
Friday 7 April 2023 02:00 , Bevan Hurley
Clutching one side of his body where he is bleeding heavily from stab wounds, tech executive Bob Lee appears to approach a parked car in urgent need of medical care.
The 43-year-old father of two lifts his shirt to show the driver the extent of his injuries, but rather than help, the motorist speeds off.
Lee’s last tragic moments as he stumbled down Main St in San Francisco’s downtown district at 2.30am on Tuesday in search of help were captured on surveillance footage and viewed by journalists from The San Francisco Standard.
He was discovered at 2.35am outside a luxury residential building on the 300 block of Main St, near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge.
The footage initially shows Lee walking along a deserted sidewalk on Main St with his mobile phone in one hand and holding his side with the other, The Standard reports.
Read more:
Shocking video appears to show onlookers ignore dying Cash App founder Bob Lee
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco due to rising crime rate
Friday 7 April 2023 01:30 , Shweta Sharma
Bob Lee, who was the founder of the multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, had relocated to Miami and was reportedly staying an extra day in San Francisco where he was stabbed to death on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old tech mogul was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
Lee was the chief product officer of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin and an active investor in companies such as SpaceX, Clubhouse, and Figma.
Lee was a much-loved member of the San Francisco tech community, where he was affectionately known as Crazy Bob.
He is survived by two young daughters and his wife Krista.
Read more:
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco
Former District Attorney criticised after Bob Lee’s death
Friday 7 April 2023 01:00 , Josh Marcus
A perception remains that San Francisco officials are soft on crime, with much of the anger funnelled at former DA Chesa Boudin, who was eventually recalled in 2022.
He took steps alternatively celebrated by criminal justice reformers and reviled by critics, such as rolling back the use of often racially disproportionate “sentence enhancements,” and directing prosecutors to consider the immigration status of certain drug criminals and avoid high-level charges against non-violent offenders who could be deported.
Even after he left office in 2022, facing a well-funded recall effort, some were still blaming Mr Boudin for the city’s crime problems.
Matt Ocko, a Palo Alto tech venture capitalist who was friends with Bob Lee, blamed former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and what he called the “criminal-loving city council” for creating a “lawless” city.
“Take action,” he urged city leaders on Twitter, claiming they have “Bob’s literal blood on their hands.”
