Update: Cash App founder, MobileCoin CPO Bob Lee stabbed to death in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood

SAN FRANCISCO — Bob Lee, the founder of the Cash App and Square’s former chief technology officer, has been identified as the man who was stabbed to death Tuesday morning near downtown San Francisco, according to his current employer, the cryptocurrency startup which is MobileCoin.

Officers responded around 2:35 a.m. to a report of a stabbing in the 400 block of Main Street in the city’s Rincon Hill neighborhood. Officers found the victim who was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

The city medical examiner’s office had not determined the number as of Tuesday night, but Lee’s friends and co-workers told KPIX that he was the victim. Early Wednesday morning, MobileCoin confirmed the death of 43-year-old Lee, who was the San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup’s Chief Product Officer.

Lee moved to Miami late last year but was in town for the MobileCoin leadership summit last week, staying a few extra nights to see friends. Longtime friend Doug Dalton met Lee years ago when they were both software engineers just starting out in their careers.

“He brought people together. He brought technologies together,” Dalton said. “He’s a wonderful father, he always does the best he can.”

Dalton said he and Lee had been together as well as other friends the night before he was killed.

“That place where he was walking back was right to his hotel,” he said.

According to a security manager at a nearby building, surveillance cameras in the area captured video of Lee walking down Main Street after he was stabbed. Lee can be seen holding her cell phone, crossing the street on Harrison, then walking back down Main toward the Portside condo complex and collapsing less than 20 feet from the front door. He later died in hospital.

Those who knew him left flowers near the scene.

“I feel like he has a lot more to offer and it’s surprising that it happened,” Dalton said.

“Bob is a force of nature,” MobileCoin CEO Joshua Goldbard said in a statement to KPIX. “He helped give birth to Android and CashApp in our world. Moby was his dream: a privacy-protecting wallet for the 21st century. I will miss him every day.”

Watch now: CBS News Bay Area 24/7: Violent death of Cash App founder, MobileCoin CPO Bob Lee

His father, Rick Lee, who lives with him, posted about his son on Facebook.

“Life is an adventure with two bachelors living together, and I’m so glad we’ve gotten to be so close these past few years. Bob would give you the shirt off his back,” the post read in part. “He would never look down on anyone and followed a strict philosophy of no judgment. Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I ever met. He will be missed by all who knew him.”

On Wednesday, Goldbard offered a lengthy tribute to Lee on his Twitter page and on MobilCoin’s Moby app website.

“Bob is a father, the former CTO of Square where he created the Cash App and CTO of Mobile Coin. He was a generous decent person who did not deserve to be killed,” wrote Bill Barhydt, CEO of Abra, on Twitter.

On Twitter Tuesday night, many messages were posted praising Lee, many including his @crazybob Twitter handle.

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square (now called Block), responded to the news in a post early Wednesday on the decentralized social media app Nostr. “Heartbreaking,” Dorsey wrote. “Bob helped with Square and Cash App.”

Mixed martial arts fighter Jake Shields remembered Lee as a “loyal friend” in a tweet, writing, “RIP brother.”

Shields’ tweet caught the attention of new Twitter owner Elon Musk, who chimed in to say, “Violent crime in SF is terrible and even when the attackers are caught, they’re often let off the hook .” Musk tagged San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in his tweet.

Crime in San Francisco:

On Wednesday morning, Jenkins offered his own statement on his Twitter page.

“I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family members and loved ones of Mr. Lee for his loss,” Jenkins said. “We do not condone these heinous acts of violence in San Francisco.”

San Francisco is grappling with an apparent rise in crime as it still tries to recover from the pandemic. Preliminary police data reported 12 homicides in San Francisco this year, an increase of 20% compared to the same period last year. In total, there were 56 homicides in San Francisco in 2022, which is exactly the same number of homicides the city saw in 2021.

“The killing of Bob Lee is a terrible tragedy and my condolences go out to his family and friends. The Police are actively investigating what happened and will share details as soon as possible,” said Mayor London Breed in a statement. “San Francisco puts public safety first, including the recent passage of our budget supplement so we have the police personnel needed to have more police officers in our neighborhoods and to investigate violent crimes when they occur. I am confident that when the Police make an arrest in cases like this, our District Attorney will do what is necessary to hold any individual accountable for their actions.”

Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the neighborhood where the fatal stabbing occurred, said, “This is a senseless tragedy that I know is made worse by the fact that there are no suspects in custody.”

He added, “I’ve also heard from many constituents in the area — some of whom have already expressed concerns to me about public safety challenges — and I’m asking everyone to cooperate with the police in their investigation, especially those with access to surveillance video that might be helpful.”

No arrests have been made in the case and San Francisco police have not released any suspect details.

Anyone with information about the fatal stabbing is asked to call the Police Department’s tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip via text message to TIP411 with “SFPD” at the beginning of the message.