A tech executive who founded the mobile payment company Cash App and previously worked at Square, Bob Lee, was stabbed to death on Tuesday near downtown San Francisco, according to his family and per police reports. 

Officers responded to a report of a stabbing around 2:35 am on Tuesday, according to San Francisco police, adding that the officers found Robert Lee, 43, with stab wounds. After being admitted to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries, according to police. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Police Chief Bill Scott said that the investigation is in its early stages, referring to the incident as a "horrific crime." 

The police department's homicide detail is investigating the incident. 

Lee had been working as the chief product officer of the crypto company MobileCoin. Previously, he was chief technology officer of Square, which is a financial technology start-up co-founded by the former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey. 

He went on to create Cash App, a money transfer service.

“Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known. He will be missed by all those that knew him,” his father, Richard Lee, said in a Facebook post, which was accompanied by a news article about the stabbing. “Thank you to those who have reached out in support.”

The founder and CEO of MobileCoin, Joshua Goldbard, said in a statement on Wednesday that Lee "passed away yesterday," and went on to praise his business acumen. 

“Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature. Bob was the genuine article,” Goldbard said. “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.”

In a Twitter thread, Goldbard said that Lee was "like a brother to me," and praised him as a "brilliant" visionary with a "kaleidoscopic mind."

1/ Thread 🧵

.@crazybob was an incredible human being. Saying bob’s name in the past tense feels ridiculous.

I don’t even know where to begin.

— Joshua Goldbard (@ThePBXGuy) April 5, 2023

The latest incident could trigger more security awareness in San Francisco, where residents and business owners have become more concerned about violent crimes and thefts. Mayor London Breed pledged to crack down on crime. 

Since the beginning of the year, San Francisco has had 12 homicides, according to the police department. In the same period last year, 10 homicides were recorded. 

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