Astronomer’s interim CEO, Pete DeJoy, has delivered his first public statement after the “Coldplay kiss-cam” incident sent the data startup from relative obscurity to, well, utter chaos and memehood. And if you thought the company would downplay things, think again — DeJoy’s message is deliberately matter-of-fact, littered with gratitude, and (mercifully) free of the usual PR fluff.
For those who lost track: at Coldplay’s recent Boston show, Astronomer’s then-CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot were caught looking a little too friendly on the stadium’s infamous kiss-cam.
When their faces appeared on the Jumbotron, Cabot hid behind her hands and Byron all but dived out of frame.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin quipped: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Cue the social media fireworks and millions of replays.
It didn’t take long for internet sleuths to connect faces to names — and spouses. The fallout: Byron and Cabot, both married to other people, were immediately placed on leave by Astronomer’s board, which also announced the launch of a formal investigation into the matter. Byron then formally resigned.
Posting on LinkedIn today, Pete DeJoy didn’t shy away from the drama: “The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies — let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world — ever encounter.”
He continued, “The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team, and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.”
DeJoy stressed Astronomer’s history of scrappiness. “At Astronomer we have never shied away from challenges; a near-decade of building this business has tested us time and time again, and each time we’ve emerged stronger,” he wrote.
“We’re here because Astronomer is built by people who live to solve hard problems, stay late to fix what’s broken, and care deeply about doing things the right way.”
It’s worth mentioning that neither Byron nor Cabot has made a public comment since the story exploded, despite the company’s attempts to shut down a string of fake statements getting traction online.
As for where it all started, Grace Springer — the fan who filmed the original Coldplay cam clip — said that she does feel bad about how it all went down.
“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 told the US Sun.
“A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but play stupid games… win stupid prizes.”
The post ‘Unusual & Surreal’: Astronomer’s New CEO Breaks Silence On Coldplay Kiss-Cam Scandal appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
