Tech execs pay tribute to Cash App founder Bob Lee following fatal stabbing in San Francisco

[midian182]

In brief: Bob Lee, creator of payment platform Cash App and the chief product officer at crypto company MobileCoin, was killed in a fatal stabbing in San Francisco on Tuesday morning. Tech executives, including Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, have paid tribute to Lee, with many highlighting what they say is a violent crime problem in the city.

San Francisco police said officers responded to a report of a stabbing on Main Street at around 2.35 am on Tuesday. Officers found a 43-year-old man with what appeared to be stab wounds. They administered aid and called the paramedics, who transported the man to the hospital. He later died of his injuries.

Lee's father, Rick Lee, confirmed his son's death on Facebook. "I just lost my best friend, my son Bob Lee when he lost his life on the street in San Francisco early Tuesday Morning," Rick Lee wrote. He said his son 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," Rick Lee said.

Bob Lee worked at Google during the early Android years. He later became the CTO of mobile payment company Square (now Block) to develop its Android app, and founded Cash App, which allows users to transfer cash to others and make market investments.

"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," tweeted the official MobileCoin account.

Bob Lee

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. pic.twitter.com/IWO2xB6ger

— MobileCoin (@mobilecoin) April 5, 2023

"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. Bob was made for the new world, he was the quintessential creator, leader, and consummate hacker," said Josh Goldbar, MobileCoin CEO.

NBC reports that Lee and his father had been living in Miami since October after moving from California. Bob Lee previously lived in Mill Valley, north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's not clear why he was back in the Bay Area.

Twitter co-founder and Square developer Jack Dorsey paid tribute to Lee on his social network, Nostr. "It's real. Getting calls. Heartbreaking. Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App. STL guy."

Elon Musk tweeted, "Very sorry to hear that. Many people I know have been severely assaulted. 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 (San Francisco District Attorney)?" Musk asked.

More than 36 hours after Lee's murder, there have been no arrests. MMA fighter Jake Shields, who says he was close friends with Lee, tweeted that the incident took place in a "good" part of the city and appeared to have been a random mugging/attack.

Very sorry to hear that. Many people I know have been severely assaulted.

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 @BrookeJenkinsSF?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2023

Insider writes that while the overall number of homicides has ticked higher in San Francisco, local authority data states that violent crime levels have remained quite stable over the past few years and compare relatively well to other big cities in the US, though property crime has increased sharply. However, many residents say these figures do not represent the real experience of living in the city, which is known for its homelessness problem.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/98210-tech-execs-pay-tribute-cash-app-founder-bob.html

 

[psycros]

There's no way to sugar-coat it: SF is the dysfunctional poster child for everything that's wrong with California. When compassion isn't guided by reason, this is the grim result...a slide into third-world anarchy. Texas is trying to deal with the massive influx of Californian expats fleeing in droves. Even worse, the new arrivals are already starting to demand local TX governments adopt the very policies that destroyed their former home. Its the definition of insanity on full display.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

There's no way to sugar-coat it: SF is the dysfunctional poster child for everything that's wrong with California. When compassion isn't guided by reason, this is the grim result...a slide into third-world anarchy. Texas is trying to deal with the massive influx of Californian expats fleeing in droves. Even worse, the new arrivals are already starting to demand local TX governments adopt the very policies that destroyed their former home. Its the definition of insanity on full display.

The good news is that the kids of these travelling locusts adopt the local traditions, IE driving muh big pickup trucks and enjoying the texan way of life. The parents, distraught that their children dont want to live in pods or eat bugs, then crawl their way back to their paradise California.

 

[NintPlayBox]

"appeared to have been a random mugging/attack."

I'm sorry but you just don't get stabbed on a Tuesday @ 2 A.M in a city you know very well for its crime situation but yet nobody seems to know why would you be back in that city since you no longer live there.....

In other words this is no random stabbing...this was a planned homicide by someone ready to pin it on the city's crime issues.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

"appeared to have been a random mugging/attack."

I'm sorry but you just don't get stabbed on a Tuesday @ 2 A.M in a city you know very well for its crime situation but yet nobody seems to know why would you be back that city since you no longer live there.....

In other words this is no random stabbing...there's more to the story.

Nah not everything is a conspiracy.

San Fran, like most major US cities, is a cesspool of crime and poverty with a veneer of shiny techbro cash on top. When the night strips away that veneer, you get to see what the city is REALLY like. Doubly so when you have a DA and court system that goes soft on crime, you get a mixture that results in horrendous crime rates.

It's not the only city to do this. Chicago and new york are similarly violent when night falls.

 

[NicktheWVAHick]

I’d be curious to know what exactly he was doing on the Streets of San Fran at 02:35am. Was he out jogging? Walking his dog? Getting into his parked car directly outside his office or a restaurant? Or something else. I would NEVER be found outside in ANY major city at 02:35am unless I was the one committing a crime. Too many questions here.

 

[RudyBob]

Tough

 

[NintPlayBox]

Nah not everything is a conspiracy.

San Fran, like most major US cities, is a cesspool of crime and poverty with a veneer of shiny techbro cash on top. When the night strips away that veneer, you get to see what the city is REALLY like. Doubly so when you have a DA and court system that goes soft on crime, you get a mixture that results in horrendous crime rates.

It's not the only city to do this. Chicago and new york are similarly violent when night falls.

Naah, that's just a republican narrow perspective, because if you were really concerned about crime you would have mentioned the mass school murders committed in states like Tennessee, Texas and many others in southern states.

 

[DukeJukem]

Very saddening to read this. I wish he had a gun or his own knife on him to protect himself or even a bodyguard in the from of a person or a dog. This world is truly disgusting sometimes and these are the types of scenarios where I can concede to allowing cameras being everywhere and armed officials on every corner. Sounds extreme and like a huge violation towards certain rights I know but if there were armed officials on every corner this wouldn't have happened but if it somehow did, the attacker would immediately be brought to justice.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Naah, that's just a republican narrow perspective, because if you were really concerned about crime you would have mentioned the mass school murders committed in states like Tennessee, Texas and many others in southern states.

Holy whataboutism batman.

I'm not even going to try conversing with you. Stop cucking to the "muh right wing" argument and open up your eyes to how degraded US cities are. European cities are not like this. Asian cities are not like this.