Cash App’s Bob Lee Was a “Force of Nature,” Taken Too Soon By Tragedy
Mr. Lee, 43, build an impactful career throughout Silicon Valley, from helping develop the core library for Android’s mobile OS to helping the WHO create their mobile app during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The horrific death of Cash App creator Bob Lee shocked the tech world on Wednesday morning, as reports from San Francisco police revealed that the tech executive died after being fatally stabbed on Tuesday morning.
Lee, 43, whose long history as a software engineer, investor, and executive at Silicon Valley tech companies was best known for the creation of Cash App during his time as the first CTO at Square (having since been acquired by Block Inc., and now known as Block), where he worked from 2010 to 2014.
Prior to joining Cash App, Mr. Lee worked at Alphabet Inc.’s Google, where he developed the Android mobile OS and core library development that is now used in many of today’s smartphones, according to his LinkedIn page and TechCrunch.
He was often referred to as “Crazy Bob” which came from his early days of playing water polo.
His LinkedIn page shows that he was actively invested in Asha, Clubhouse, Faire, Figma, Nana, SpaceX, and Tile.
Most of his time, however, had been spent building out MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency company he joined in 2021 as its chief product officer. The company offers a P2P cryptocurrency along with its native crypto wallet, Moby.
“Bob was made for the new world,” MobileCoin founder Joshua Goldbard wrote in his statement. “He was the quintessential creator, leader, and consummate hacker.”
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
Mr. Goldbard also said that Lee was “a child of dreams, and whatever he imagined, no matter how crazy, he made real.”
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square parent Block, wrote on Nostr that Lee’s death was “real. Getting calls. Heartbreaking. Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App.”
Mr. Lee’s passing also hit home for TechCrunch founder and Silicon Valley VC, Michael Arrington, who also took to Twitter on Wednesday:
Bob was one of my best sources at TechCrunch. And never the mean stuff. He was always pointing me to the startups or people that needed a boost to really take off. When they took off, we looked smart for writing about them first. He was always positive. RIP @crazybob
— Michael Arrington ?☠️ (@arrington) April 5, 2023
Figma CEO Dylan Field tweeted about Lee’s recent passing, recalling when they first met back in 2006:
“He didn’t care that I was only 14 and we talked tech / geeked out about programming,” Field wrote. “We remained connected over the years and he was an early supporter of Figma. It’s so hard to believe he is gone.”
Lee’s father, Rick Lee, posted a heartfelt message to Facebook on Wednesday about the loss of “his best friend.” Rick said he moved to Mill Valley with his son in 2019 following the death of his wife, later relocating to Miami in October 2022.
“I just lost my best friend, my son Bob Lee,” Friends and family are remembering the Cash App founder and CPO of MobileCoin who was fatally stabbed in San Francisco early Tuesday morning. https://t.co/ffPf7AerSQ
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) April 5, 2023
“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,” Lee’s father wrote. “Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy.”
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Lee helped the World Health Organization with its mobile app.
No Arrests Made, But SFPD Wants Your Help!
Unfortunately, the San Francisco Police Department says that no arrests have been made as of press time, but is asking anyone with information about the stabbing to call the Police Department at 415-575-4444.
Matt Dorsey, a member of San Francisco’s board of supervisors, said in a tweet that Mr. Lee’s death was “a senseless tragedy that I know is made worse by the fact that no suspect is yet in custody.”
“I’ve also heard from many constituents in the area — some of whom have already voiced concerns to me about public safety challenges,” Mr. Dorsey said. “I’m asking everyone to cooperate with police in their investigation, especially those with access to surveillance video that may help.”
Since January, there have been 12 reported homicides in San Francisco, with SFPD reporting 56 homicides in both 2022 and 2021 – up 8 since 2020.
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