Bob Lee Tech Biography
Bob Lee (1979-2023) was a well-known American businessman and software engineer, best recognized for co-founding Cash App, a popular financial service.
He also served as the Chief Technology Officer of Square and the Chief Product Officer at MobileCoin.
Throughout his career, Lee was pivotal in shaping the landscape of mobile payments and tech innovation.
After excelling in water polo during high school, he attended Southeast Missouri State University.
In the mid-2000s, he contributed to the development of the Android operating system as an open-source developer.
In 2013, he co-founded Cash App, a widely used financial platform, and later became Chief Product Officer at MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency company, in 2021.
Tragically, on April 4, 2023, Lee was fatally stabbed in San Francisco, and in 2024, Nima Momeni was convicted of second-degree murder for his death.
Bob Lee Tech Wikipedia
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert “Bob” Lee |
| Also Known As | Bob Lee Tech, “Crazy Bob” (water polo nickname) |
| Born | December 20, 1979 |
| Died | April 4, 2023 (aged 43) |
| Place of Birth | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Place of Death | San Francisco, California, USA |
| Cause of Death | Stabbed (homicide) |
| Occupation | Tech Entrepreneur, Software Engineer |
| Famous For | Founding Cash App (formerly Square Cash) |
| Notable Roles | Founder of Cash App, CTO of Square, Chief Product Officer at MobileCoin |
| Education | Graduate, Southeast Missouri State University |
| Family | Father: Rick Lee, Mother: Nannette Lee (died 2019), Brother: Tim Oliver Lee |
| Ex-Wife | Krista Lee (divorced in 2019) |
| Children | Daughter: Dagny Lee, Son: Scout Lee |
| Awards | Jolt Award (2008) for Guice |
| Net Worth at Death | $10 million |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) |
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lbs) |
| Eye Color | Hazel |
| Hair Color | Black and Grey |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christian |
| Languages Spoken | English |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Murder Case – Suspect | Nima Momeni (tech consultant, acquaintance of Lee) |
| Murder Case – Outcome | Nima Momeni was convicted of second-degree murder in December 2024 |
| Legacy | Known for humility, kindness, and mentoring young engineers. |
Bob Lee Tech Early Life and Career (1979–2023)
Bob Lee was born on December 20, 1979, in St. Louis, Missouri.
He attended Lindbergh High School, where he stood out both academically and athletically, earning the nickname “Crazy Bob” for his intense enthusiasm in water polo.
During high school, he demonstrated early technical brilliance by creating a 3D rendering engine in Turbo Pascal.
He later studied at Southeast Missouri State University, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity and worked as a web developer for the university.
Lee gained national attention on August 7, 2001, when he released a free software tool to protect Microsoft IIS servers from the Code Red worm, a fast-spreading internet threat at the time.
By 2003, he was working as a technical architect at AT&T, where he developed Dynaop, an aspect-oriented programming (AOP) framework for Java, which earned a feature in Oracle Magazine.
In October 2004, Lee joined Google as a staff software engineer, contributing significantly to the development of the Android operating system.
While at Google, he co-authored Guice, a popular dependency injection framework, in 2006, alongside Kevin Bourrillion.
Guice was inspired by Lee’s earlier work on Apache Struts, and it earned the 2008 Jolt Award for innovation.
He later led Google’s core libraries team, proposed enhancements to Java, such as lambda expressions and concurrency support, and worked on Dalvik, the virtual machine used in Android. Lee also served as an expert witness in the Oracle v. Google legal case.
In January 2010, Lee was recruited by the payment company Square, where he became Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
He initially led development for Square’s Android app before taking over the iOS app, originally developed by co-founder Tristan O’Tierney.
After moving to San Francisco, Lee played a key role in launching Cash App (originally Square Cash) in 2013.
He left Square in 2014 and became an angel investor, backing companies such as Clubhouse, SpaceX, and Figma.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee supported the World Health Organization (WHO) in developing its app.
In 2021, he joined MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency payment platform, as its Chief Product Officer, continuing his mission to innovate in the fintech space.
Bob Lee Tech Personal Life
Bob Lee was born with polydactyly, a condition involving extra fingers, which he had surgically removed early in life.
In 2019, following the death of his mother, Lee’s father relocated to Mill Valley, California, to live with him and his family.
That same year, Lee and his wife, Krista, separated after having two children together. In October 2022, while his children and Krista remained in the Bay Area, Lee moved to Miami to live with his father.
Bob Lee Tech Murder and Trial
In the early hours of April 4, 2023, Bob Lee was fatally stabbed in the chest and hip on Main Street in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.
Police responded at 2:35 a.m., finding Lee unconscious after he called 911 forty-seven times pleading for help.
Surveillance footage showed Lee trying to get help from a passing car before collapsing.
He was rushed to a hospital but later died at age 43.
An autopsy revealed he had been stabbed in the heart and lungs, and had alcohol, cocaine, and ketamine in his system.
On April 13, 2023, police arrested 38-year-old Nima Momeni, a tech consultant from Emeryville, for Lee’s murder.
Momeni, originally from Tehran, Iran, had migrated to the United States in 1999 with his mother and sister to escape an abusive father.
He reportedly knew Bob Lee, and surveillance video confirmed both men left Khazar Momeni’s condo (Nima’s sister) together shortly before the stabbing.
According to a Wall Street Journal report on May 14, 2023, Lee had a casual sexual relationship with Khazar Elyassnia (Momeni’s sister), despite her being married.
Lee also had a past relationship with Momeni’s ex-girlfriend, which added to the motive.
Just hours before the murder, Momeni allegedly confronted Lee about his sister’s drug use and behavior.
At trial, it was revealed that Lee and Elyassnia attended several parties, where they consumed drugs together.
Further suspicion arose when Elyassnia searched “How to erase an iPhone” days after the murder, then deleted her search history.
Investigators were unable to access her phone data.
After a seven-day jury deliberation, on December 17, 2024, Nima Momeni was convicted of second-degree murder.
He now faces 15 years to life in prison.
His mother, Mahnaz Tayarani Babai, publicly claimed her son was kind despite his history of drug abuse.
Bob Lee Tech Net Worth
At the time of his death in April 2023, Bob Lee’s net worth was estimated to be around $10 million.
This wealth stemmed from his influential roles in the tech industry, notably as the founder of Cash App, Chief Technology Officer at Square (now Block, Inc.), and Chief Product Officer at MobileCoin.
Additionally, Lee made strategic investments in prominent startups such as SpaceX, Clubhouse, and Figma, further contributing to his financial success.
Bob Lee Tech Awards and Recognitions
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Jolt Award | 2008 | Awarded for his work on the Guice framework, co-authored with Kevin Bourrillion, at Google. |
| Tech Recognition | Various | Recognized for his contributions to the tech industry, particularly in mobile technology and programming frameworks like Guice. |
Bob Lee Tech Publications
In 2003, Bob Lee co-authored the book Bitter EJB with Bruce Tate and Mike Clark, published by Manning Publications.
ISBN: 9781930110953.
Bob Lee Tech Character and Legacy
Flowers and notes are left outside a San Francisco apartment building on April 7 in honor of Bob Lee.
In the days following Bob Lee’s tragic death, the outpouring of tributes from friends, colleagues, and tech leaders painted a portrait of a man remembered not only for his genius in technology but also for his compassionate and humble spirit.
Tommy Sowers, a former Green Beret and congressional candidate from Missouri, recalled meeting Lee at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
He described him as a man with “innate kindness”, a rare quality in the competitive tech world.
Sowers noted that Lee stood in stark contrast to the stereotypical “tech-bro” culture, embodying warmth, sincerity, and generosity.
Wesley Chan, co-founder of FPV Ventures and a former colleague at Google, echoed these sentiments.
Chan said Lee frequently mentored other engineers, always offering support and encouragement while remaining humble about his own accomplishments.
“He’d say, ‘Oh, I don’t know if it’s going to work or not, but we’ll try,’” Chan remembered. “That’s one of the things I loved about him.”
Another close associate, Josh Goldbard, praised Lee’s relentless determination and vision.
He remarked that Lee had the rare ability to transform his ideas into reality, no matter how ambitious they seemed.
But beyond his technical achievements, Goldbard emphasized Lee’s lasting impact on people.
“Bob’s real résumé is the hearts and minds he touched in his time here,” Goldbard wrote. “Bob’s legacy is the feeling that you can make a difference if you try.”
From flowers laid outside buildings in San Francisco to digital tributes across the tech world, Bob Lee’s legacy lives on not just through the innovations he built but in the hope, kindness, and mentorship he shared with others.
FAQs
1. Who was Bob Lee?
Bob Lee was an American tech entrepreneur, software engineer, and the founder of Cash App (formerly Square Cash).
He was known for his significant contributions to the tech industry, particularly in mobile and financial technology. He was also involved in the early development of Android and worked at Square Inc. and MobileCoin.
2. What is Bob Lee most known for?
Bob Lee is most known for founding Cash App, a widely used mobile payment service. His contributions also extended to the development of Android, as he worked at Google as a software engineer and helped shape the platform’s early structure.
3. What was Bob Lee’s role at Square and Cash App?
At Square, Bob Lee served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He played a pivotal role in developing Cash App, which was launched in 2013 under Square.
Lee helped design its architecture and was instrumental in its growth, which led to Cash App becoming one of the most popular payment platforms in the U.S.
4. When did Bob Lee die, and what was the cause of his death?
Bob Lee tragically passed away on April 4, 2023, at the age of 43. He was fatally stabbed on a street in San Francisco, California. His death was the result of a homicide, and Nima Momeni was arrested as a suspect in connection with the murder.
5. How did Bob Lee contribute to the Android ecosystem?
Bob Lee played a key role in developing the Android operating system while working at Google. He co-authored Guice, a dependency injection framework used in Android, and contributed to the Dalvik virtual machine, which powers Android devices.
6. What were Bob Lee’s personal qualities that impressed his colleagues?
Colleagues and peers described Bob Lee as having an “innate kindness” and being a humble, approachable person.
Despite his immense technical achievements, he remained grounded and frequently encouraged others. His legacy is remembered for the positive impact he had on the lives of those around him.
7. Who was Bob Lee married to, and did he have children?
Bob Lee was married to Krista Lee, but the couple separated in 2019. They had two children together: a daughter, Dagny Lee, and a son, Scout Lee.
8. What was Bob Lee’s educational background?
Bob Lee attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he earned a degree in Computer Science. His early passion for technology led him to create programs and work on significant tech projects.
9. What awards did Bob Lee receive during his career?
Bob Lee received the Jolt Award in 2008 for his work on the Guice framework, which he co-authored while working at Google. This framework became essential for developing scalable Java applications.
10. How did Bob Lee impact the tech industry beyond his direct contributions?
Beyond his direct technical contributions, Bob Lee’s work inspired others in the tech industry to push boundaries and create impactful solutions.
He became a mentor and a role model for many engineers, demonstrating the importance of humility, kindness, and creativity in tech.
In Conclusion
Bob Lee was a renowned tech entrepreneur and software engineer, best known for founding Cash App and contributing to the development of Android.
He was a key figure at Square Inc. and MobileCoin, and his innovations in mobile payments left a lasting impact on the tech industry.
Bob was admired not only for his technical brilliance but also for his humility and kindness. Tragically, he was fatally stabbed in San Francisco on April 4, 2023.
His death, at the age of 43, was a great loss to the tech world. Despite his untimely passing, Bob Lee’s legacy continues through Cash App and the positive influence he had on his colleagues and the tech community.
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