The world of tech lost a pretty important guy Tuesday: Bob Lee — the man credited with creating Cash App, chief technology officer at cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin and friend to many in the crypto community — died after an apparent stabbing attack in San Francisco. Friends and loved ones have expressed sadness and anger over the news.
After Lee’s death, tech leaders and other prominent people are asking how to address the violence that is besetting the city. Police data shows homicide rates in San Francisco have risen over the last few years. Those numbers continue an ongoing debate over how to improve safety in the Bay Area, and Lee’s death could fuel it further.
Was there a motive?
Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, also stepped into the issue of violence in San Francisco and called it “horrific” while urging action from the district attorney. Other prominent business leaders and politicians also reacted to the news.
Among them: Twitter’s new boss, Elon Musk, who said that Lee’s death was “a horrible tragedy.” Facebook founder and former-manager of Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg, wrote on Twitter that it is sadness day in our city. He posted, “Something is not working in our grey city.”
How we found out
After nearly 64 hours, Lee’s father, Rick Lee, confirmed his son’s death on Facebook Wednesday (local time) by saying that he had lost “his best friend” and adding that he would be missed by “all.” In an earlier statement to CNN, Lee’s father told the network that he had “strict no-judgment principles” and was “alpha in the boardroom don’t mean shit to a motherfucker on the street”.
Goldbard called Lee a dynamo and said she was a force of nature who, “made for the world that is being born right now.” He added she becomes chief product officer, later in Goldbard’s MobileCoin as an early-stage investor and advisor.
As an engineer, Lee was a ninja at pinpointing problems and coming up with solutions. He says he’s also great at helping other engineers and tech entrepreneurs by coaching them and championing them. He modestly describes his key role in developing successful products like Cash App.
His impact
He stayed in touch with the company, even after it was acquired by MobileCoin. He served as a board member and kept close to the executives of the company, according to Goldbard.
Later, after leaving square, Lee joined MobileCoin as an early-stage investment and adviser. He then became chief product officer for the startup launching Moby, MobileCoin’s mobile payments application.
Lee had been at MobileCoin for just a few months, Goldbard said. His impact on the company was immense. He helped create something out of nothing “a new generation” digital payments, Goldbard explained. He was also an outstanding communicator, Goldbard said.
