Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has tendered his resignation three days after he was seen cuddling with the head of the company’s HR department at a Coldplay concert.
The viral clip, filmed during the band’s show at Boston’s Gillette Stadium on July 16, shows the pair embracing before realising they’ve been projected onto the big screen.
In a statement released on Saturday, the software company said: "As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.
“The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.
“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI.
“While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems,” the statement concluded.
Social media went into a frenzy after footage circulated of a man, later revealed to be Byron, and the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, jumping away from each other when they appeared on a “kiss cam” during the band’s show.
Byron, who was hugging Cabot from behind, can be seen ducking out of view while Cabot turns away and hides her face.
Astronomer previously said that no other employees were involved in the video, and denied reports that Byron had released a statement. "Reports saying otherwise are all incorrect," the firm said.
Fake apology statements attributed to Byron and Coldplay have circulated online, including one viral hoax claiming the band would introduce "camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces."
The Coldplay fan who filmed the moment told The U.S. Sun she did not expect it to cause a scandal. "I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it," she said. "A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes."
Even longer footage has since emerged, showing the full reaction of a visibly panicked Cabot. Neither Byron nor Cabot has spoken publicly about the incident.
Byron has served as CEO of Astronomer — valued at more than $1.3 billion — since July 2023. Cabot, who goes by Kristin Cabot Thornby on LinkedIn, joined the company nine months ago as Chief People Officer.
When she was appointed, Byron praised her as a "proven leader" with "exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management." On her LinkedIn profile, Cabot previously described herself as someone who "wins trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants."
