Photo illustration by 731; Portrait: Victoria Smith/Eyevine/Redux
A beloved tech founder was found stabbed in the streets of San Francisco. The city took the blame.
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The 2023 murder of Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App, brought long-standing tensions between the tech industry and the city’s liberal government to a boiling point. Rumors and misinformation ran rampant. Several tech industry leaders weighed in, including David Sacks, who “bet dollars to dimes” that Lee was stabbed by “a psychotic homeless person,” and Elon Musk, who disparaged the district attorney. When Lee’s killer was arrested, it became clear that the truth of what happened could not be further from the initial speculation.
When Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App, was killed in the streets of San Francisco, his death was initially a mystery. The city took the blame.
San Francisco officials were eager to quash the doom loop narrative and insisted that Bob Lee was killed by someone he knew. But Lee’s friends and family had never heard of his accused murderer, Nima Momeni.
Bob Lee’s toxicology report was released, indicating that he had alcohol, cocaine, and ketamine in his system at the time of his death. While his killing no longer fit neatly with the San Francisco Doom Loop narrative, a new story emerged that Lee traveled through an underground party scene known as “the Lifestyle.” Lee was twisted into a symbol for a second time, now representing the secret world of the wealthy tech elite. In conversation with Lee’s friends and family, reporter Shawn Wen tells the tale of the man they knew.
Nima Momeni’s trial for murdering Bob Lee began in October 2024. Lee’s killing, no longer a stand-in for random street crime, no longer fit neatly into the political zeitgeist. Instead, the tabloids latched onto the story for its salacious mix of drugs, violence and sex. Reporter Shawn Wen brings listeners inside the made-for-TV murder trial.
With Nima Momeni convicted of second degree murder, the media storm around Bob Lee faded. Reporter Shawn Wen tries to make sense of the widespread fascination with Lee’s death. She looks to the period before his death, when San Francisco was gripped by a bitter political fight over street crime, and to the years afterwards, when it emerged from the doom loop and into the AI boom.
Listen to previous seasons of the Foundering podcast here.