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Former Square CTO, Bob Lee, Dies After Apparent Stabbing Attack
New York (CNN) Bob Lee, the former chief technology officer of Square who helped launch Cash App, has died after an apparent stabbing attack in San Francisco. The police are still investigating Lee’s death, and no arrests have been made.
Lee’s death was confirmed by Josh Goldbard, the CEO of MobileCoin, Lee’s current employer. Lee joined the cryptocurrency and digital payments startup as its chief product officer in 2023.
Goldbard released a statement mourning Lee’s death, calling him a “dynamo” and a “force of nature.” Rick Lee, Bob’s father, also confirmed the news in a statement on Facebook.
“Bob would give you the shirt off his back,” Rick Lee wrote. “He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed also reacted to the news, calling Lee’s death “a horrible tragedy.”
San Francisco’s Crime Rates
San Francisco has been experiencing an uptick in crime, and preliminary data reports 12 homicides this year, a 20% increase from the previous year’s time period. The investigation into Lee’s death continues as San Francisco attempts to bounce back from the pandemic.
Outpouring of Grief
Many others in the tech world and beyond responded to news of Lee’s death with an outpouring of shock and grief.
“It’s so hard to believe he is gone,” Figma CEO Dylan Field wrote in a tweet.
Tech investor Ryan Gilbert remembered Lee as “one of a kind,” adding, “May his memory be a blessing.”
Mixed Martial Arts fighter Jake Shields remembered Lee as a “loyal friend” in a tweet.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square, responded to the news via Nostr, calling Lee “instrumental to Square and Cash App.”
Lee was Square’s first-ever chief technology officer before joining MobileCoin. Prior to that, he helped lead the team that launched Android while at Google.
