Billionaire Cash App founder ‘begged for help’ after being fatally stabbed in San Francisco

A tech billionaire was reportedly ignored by passers-by as he begged for help after he was stabbed in San Francisco.

Bob Lee, a technology executive who created Cash App and was chief product officer of MobileCoin, was attacked early on Tuesday, police have said.

San Francisco Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to a report of a stabbing on Main Street at 2.35am and found a 43-year-old man suffering from apparent stab wounds. He later died in hospital.

While police did not name the victim, MobileCoin confirmed Mr Lee’s death in response to an email from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

In CCTV footage since obtained by the San Francisco Standard, injured Mr Lee can reportedly be seen approaching a parked car in a bid to get help.

He reportedly lifts his shirt to reveal his stab wounds to the driver - who drove away as Mr Lee collapsed to the floor.

MobileCoin CEO Josh Goldbard said in a statement: “Our dear friend and colleague, Bob Lee passed away yesterday at the age of 43, survived by a loving family and collection of close friends and collaborators.”

Mr Lee was “made for the new world”, Mr Goldbard wrote.

“From large contributions to Android at google, to being the first CTO of Square, in that time creating CashApp, and working with us here at Mobilecoin, Bob surely had an impact that will last far beyond his short time on earth,” he said.

Mr Lee came to MobileCoin as an early stage investor and adviser, then became chief product officer and helped launch the Moby app, Mr Goldbard said.

Mr Lee was the chief technology officer at digital payments company Square in 2013 when it launched a money transfer application now known as Cash App.

The police statement did not provide any details on the circumstances of the stabbing.

“This is an open and active investigation. For that reason we are not releasing further information,” Officer Niccole Pacchetti, a public information officer, said in an email.

“We will provide further details when they become available.”