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Bob Lee (businessman)

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Bob Lee
Born(1979-12-20)December 20, 1979
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedApril 4, 2023(2023-04-04) (aged 43)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Cause of deathHomicide by stabbing
EducationSoutheast Missouri State University
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • software engineer
Organizations
Known forFounding Cash App
Spouse
Krista Lee
​
(separated)​
Children2

Bob Lee (December 20, 1979 – April 4, 2023) was an American businessman and software engineer who was best known for helping to create the financial service Cash App. He was the chief technology officer of Square and the chief product officer of MobileCoin.

On April 4, 2023, Lee was fatally stabbed in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.[1] The San Francisco Police Department arrested Nima Momeni for Lee's killing on April 13, 2023, and Momeni was found guilty of second-degree murder on December 17, 2024.[2] Momeni faces 15 years to life in prison for murdering Lee.

Early life and career

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Lee was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 20, 1979.[3][4] Tim Oliver Lee is his brother.[5] While attending Lindbergh High School,[6] Lee wrote a 3D rendering engine in Turbo Pascal,[7] and became known as "Crazy Bob" for his exuberant energy in playing water polo.[8] Lee attended Southeast Missouri State University and pledged the Sigma Chi fraternity.[8]

On August 7, 2001, Lee released a free program to defend Microsoft IIS servers from Code Red, which was at the time a rapidly spreading computer worm.[9] Lee worked for Southeast Missouri State University as a web developer.[10] By 2003, Lee was employed as a technical architect at AT&T. While at AT&T, Lee developed the aspect-oriented programming (AOP) framework dynaop similar to the Spring Framework for Java, featured in Oracle Magazine.[11]

Lee was employed at Google as a staff software engineer from October 2004[12] to January 2010[13] and helped develop the Android mobile operating system.[14] Lee co-authored the dependency injection framework Guice with Kevin Bourrillion in 2006 while at Google to modularize AdWords.[15][16] Lee developed Guice based on ideas he had for Apache Struts, which he concurrently worked on.[17] In 2008, Lee and Bourrillion were awarded the Jolt Award for their work on Guice.[18] Lee transferred to the core libraries team in 2007,[19] eventually leading the team.[20] In May 2009, Lee created a Java dependency injection proposal with Rod Johnson.[21] He was also part of the expert group for a Java proposal that added lambda expressions, as well as another proposal to add concurrency to the language.[22] Additionally, Lee worked on Dalvik, an Android process virtual machine.[23] During Oracle v. Google, Lee was called as a witness.[24]

In January 2010, the e-commerce company Square recruited Lee.[13] He became the company's chief technology officer and led development on the company's Android app, eventually taking over development on Square's iOS app from now-deceased co-founder Tristan O'Tierney.[25] After becoming the chief technology officer, Lee moved to San Francisco from his St. Louis, Missouri home.[26] In 2013, he helped Square build Cash App, then Square Cash. He left Square in 2014, investing in several tech startups, including Clubhouse, SpaceX, and Figma.[20][27] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee assisted the World Health Organization with its app.[28] In 2021, he joined the cryptocurrency payment firm MobileCoin as its chief product officer.[29]

Personal life

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Lee was polydactyly, and had surgery to remove his extra fingers.[7]

In 2019, following the death of Lee's mother, his father moved to Mill Valley, California, to live with Lee's family. In 2019, Lee and his wife, Krista, separated. The couple had two children together.[30][31] In October 2022, Krista and Lee's two children stayed in the Bay Area when Lee moved to Miami to live with his father.[32]

Murder and trial

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In the early morning of April 4, 2023, Lee was stabbed in the chest and hip while he was on the 300 block of Main Street in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.[27] Police were called to the scene at 2:35 a.m. local time. CCTV footage shows a wounded Lee stumbling to a parked car that had its hazard lights on, and lifting his shirt to show his wound; the car immediately drove away, after which Lee collapsed on the ground. He had been stabbed in the hip and heart, and had called 911 begging for help 47 times.[33][34] By the time police arrived on the scene, he was unconscious. He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries at the age of 43.[35][36][29]

His autopsy report released by the San Francisco medical examiner's office showed that he suffered knife wounds to his heart and lung.[37] The autopsy also revealed evidence of alcohol, cocaine, and ketamine consumption in Lee's system.[38]

On April 13, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) arrested 38-year-old Nima Momeni of Emeryville (born August 1984) for the murder of Lee.[39] Momeni was born in Tehran, Iran. At the age of 14, Nima, along with his mother and sister, fled to the United States to get away from their abusive father in 1999.[40] He had been working in the technology industry since 2005, ran a struggling IT consulting firm, and allegedly knew Lee.[41][42] Surveillance video showed that the morning of the murder, Lee and Momeni left the Millennium Tower condo of Memeni's sister Khazar Momeni around 2 a.m., got into Momeni’s BMW, and then later got out of the car in an isolated area by the Bay Bridge.[43]

On May 14, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Lee and Khazar Elyassnia (Momeni's sister) had a "casual sexual relationship" despite her being married. It also reported that Lee had dated Momeni's ex-girlfriend three years before Lee's murder. At trial Nima Momeni testified that his sister had an open marriage with her plastic surgeon husband.[44][33] Hours before Lee's murder, Momeni had confronted Lee about whether or not his sister was doing drugs or anything else with Lee that Momeni considered inappropriate due to Elyassnia's marriage. Lee had attended several house parties with Elyassnia before his murder, and had taken several drugs with her prior to his murder. Elyassnia was also arrested for driving under the influence, but the charges were later dismissed.[45][46] At trial, SFPD Sergeant Dittmer testified that Dr. Elyassnia had googled "How to erase an iPhone" days after Lee's murder, and deleted the search results, and that SFPD was never able to see what was on Khazar Momeni's phones.[33]

On December 17, 2024, Momeni, now 40, was found guilty of second-degree murder after a seven-day deliberation.[47][48] Randall Knox, an attorney who briefly represented Momeni's mother, Mahnaz Tayarani Babai, said that the jury had a lot to consider. Tayarani then later spoke to the cameras on both KNTV and KGO-TV shortly after the verdict saying that her son was the kindest and had never done anything wrong before the murder despite him having a history of drug abuse.[49] Momeni faces 15 years to life in prison for murdering Lee.[50][41]

Publications

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  • Tate, Bruce; Clark, Mike; Lee, Bob (2003). Bitter EJB. Shelter Island: Manning Publications. ISBN 9781930110953.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Hamilton, Katherine. "Cash App Creator Bob Lee Dead After Stabbing In San Francisco". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Anguiano, Dani (April 14, 2023). "Bob Lee's killing was 'planned and deliberate', prosecutors say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. ^ Krista Lee [@mrs_crazybob] (December 20, 2014). "Happy Birthday @crazybob !!! Hugs and kisses! From: @ScoutOuttaLuck @MineHeart22 & @mrs_crazybob" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ O'Brien, Matt; Har, Janie (April 6, 2023). "Few details in SF stabbing death of Cash App founder, St. Louis native Bob Lee". The Missourian. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Drenon, Brandon (April 5, 2023). "Bob Lee dead: Cash App founder dies after San Francisco stabbing". BBC. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Walter, Danny (April 8, 2023). "Slain Cash App founder had ties to Cape Girardeau". Southeast Missourian. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Lee, Bob (December 20, 2006). "Five things you may not know about me..." crazybob.org. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Lerman, Rachel; Mark, Julian (April 7, 2023). "Friends remember CashApp founder's zest for life, while mourning his death". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Code Red Vigilante". November 8, 2001. Archived from the original on October 30, 2001. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Salzano, Miabelle (April 6, 2023). "What we know about Bob Lee, the Cash App founder stabbed, killed in SF". KTVI. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Beernink & Tijms 2019, p. 11-13.
  12. ^ Beernink & Tijms 2019, p. 13.
  13. ^ a b Beernink & Tijms 2019, p. 25.
  14. ^ Mack, David (April 5, 2023). "The Creator Of Cash App Was Stabbed To Death In San Francisco". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  15. ^ Vanbrabrant 2008, p. 5.
  16. ^ Bob Lee [@crazybob] (January 12, 2010). "I originally created Guice to modularize AdWords w/o sacrificing up-front checking. DI was a means to an end" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Brown, Michael Davis & Stanlick 2008, p. 475.
  18. ^ Lee, Bob (March 17, 2008). "Thanks for the Jolt!". Google Open Source Blog. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  19. ^ Haase 2022, p. 146.
  20. ^ a b Hurley, Bevan (April 5, 2023). "Everything we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Beernink & Tijms 2019, p. 22.
  22. ^ "Bob Lee on Java's Future, Lambdas, DI with Guice vs Dagger, Java and Ruby at Square". InfoQ. January 11, 2013. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  23. ^ Tim O'Brien (October 12, 2011). Bob Lee, CTO Square, Inc. talks about the Java community. O'Reilly Media (Interview). San Francisco. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Brodkin, Jon (April 23, 2012). "Newly revived patent gives Oracle extra ammunition in Google trial". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Lynley, Matt (December 22, 2011). "Meet The Most Important People Working At Silicon Valley's Next Red-Hot Startup". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  26. ^ O'Brien, Timothy (October 13, 2011). "Bob Lee on Java references and the state of Java". O'Reilly Media. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Lerman, Rachel (April 5, 2023). "Cash App founder Bob Lee killed in San Francisco". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  28. ^ Holt, Kris (April 5, 2023). "Cash App creator Bob Lee reportedly killed in San Francisco stabbing". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  29. ^ a b Thorbecke, Catherine (April 5, 2023). "Tech executive Bob Lee dead after apparent stabbing attack in San Francisco". CNN Business. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  30. ^ Da Silva, Chantal; Arkin, Daniel (April 5, 2023). "Cash App founder Bob Lee reportedly killed in San Francisco stabbing, sources say". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  31. ^ LaFraniere, Sharon; Hubler, Shawn; Fuller, Thomas (April 13, 2023). "Tech Consultant Arrested in San Francisco Killing of Cash App Creator". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  32. ^ Lukpat, Alyssa (April 5, 2023). "Cash App Founder Bob Lee Fatally Stabbed in San Francisco". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  33. ^ a b c "Jury finds tech consultant guilty of 2nd degree murder in stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee," ABC7.
  34. ^ "Tech Entrepreneur Convicted of Second-Degree Murder in Death of Cash App Founder," The New York Times.
  35. ^ Drenon, Brandon (April 6, 2023). "Bob Lee dead: Cash App founder dies after San Francisco stabbing". BBC News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  36. ^ "Update: Cash App founder, MobileCoin CPO Bob Lee stabbed to death in San Francisco's Rincon Hill neighborhood". CBS News. April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  37. ^ Mossburg, Cheri; Hassan, Carma; Yan, Holly (May 2, 2023). "Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed in the heart and lung in a fatal attack, autopsy report says". CNN. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  38. ^ Li, David; Blankstein, Andrew (May 2, 2023). "Autopsy shows tech exec Bob Lee consumed alcohol, cocaine and ketamine before he was killed". NBC. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  39. ^ Ruiz, Michael (April 13, 2023). "San Francisco police arrest man in Cash App founder Bob Lee stabbing death: report". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  40. ^ Lamb, Jonah (May 26, 2023). "Bob Lee killing: Why suspect Nima Momeni fled Iran with his sister, Khazar". The San Francisco Standard.
  41. ^ a b "The tech tycoon, the ‘date-rape drugs’ and a murder that rocked San Francisco," The Times.
  42. ^ Eskenazi, Joe (April 13, 2023). "Arrest made in SF killing of Bob Lee — tech exec's alleged killer also worked in tech". Mission Local. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  43. ^ "Prosecution makes closing argument in murder trial over stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee," The Associated Press.
  44. ^ "At the center of Bob Lee’s killing, a key witness with camera-ready style," The San Francisco Standard.
  45. ^ Breen, Kerry (April 14, 2023). "Details emerge about Nima Momeni, suspect charged with murder in death of tech executive Bob Lee". CBS News. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  46. ^ Grind, Kirsten; Bindley, Katherine; Elinson, Zusha (May 14, 2023). "Before His Killing, Tech Executive Bob Lee Led an Underground Life of Sex and Drugs". The Wall Street Journal.
  47. ^ "Verdict in Nima Momeni trial for murder of Bob Lee will be announced Tuesday morning, court officials say". KPIX-TV. December 17, 2024.
  48. ^ "GUILTY: Nima Momeni convicted of 2nd degree murder in death of Cash App founder Bob Lee - LIVE". KGO-TV. December 17, 2024.
  49. ^ "Jury finds former Iranian and tech consultant guilty of 2nd degree murder in stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee". KABC-TV. December 17, 2024.
  50. ^ "Tech consultant found guilty of Cash App founder Bob Lee's murder". www.bbc.com. Retrieved December 18, 2024.

Works cited

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