Astronomer has recently gone through a major leadership change, with Pete DeJoy taking over as Interim CEO this past weekend. This shift comes after the data and AI company faced heavy public attention due to an unexpected viral incident involving its former CEO, Andy Byron, and Head of HR, Kristin Cabot, and Coldplay.
In his recent public statements, DeJoy acknowledged the unusual level of media attention the company has received. He said in a LinkedIn Post, “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 said he would never have wanted things to happen this way, but his words subtly highlighted the difference between the chaotic exit of the previous leadership and his own plans for stability and progress. He emphasized that Astronomer’s real strength comes from its employees—people who work hard, solve tough problems, put in extra hours when needed, and operate with honesty.
Astronomer has a new CEO
The two executives were caught in an awkward moment on a kiss cam during a Coldplay concert, and the situation quickly blew up into a huge media story. The incident, which included Coldplay singer Chris Martin joking about their apparent shyness or possible affair, led to an internal investigation at Astronomer. As a result, Byron resigned, and Cabot was put on leave, with her future at the company still uncertain.
Astronomer’s past shows a history of overcoming major challenges, proving the company has a solid foundation. Starting as a small software startup in Cincinnati, it survived a bank collapse that nearly wiped out all its money. Later, it grew from 30 employees to 300 during the global pandemic, even while operating entirely remotely.
— Revista PODER (@RevistaPODERcol) July 18, 2025
| El CEO de Astronomer, Andy Byron, y la directora de personal, Kristin Cabot, fueron puestos en licencia de manera inmediata, según informó una fuente a Axios.pic.twitter.com/ryUpO6sHQk
These past struggles, as DeJoy pointed out, show that Astronomer can handle tough times. As interim CEO, he is fully focused on protecting the company’s employees and making sure clients continue to get the best service, signaling a renewed commitment to both internal well-being and external success.
DeJoy also stressed that Astronomer’s strong foundation is tied to the growing Apache Airflow community, which is crucial to its work. He sees a huge opportunity for Astronomer to become a top DataOps platform, perfectly suited for the fast-growing age of AI. His final message was “To our team: thank you for your resilience & commitment to building something great. And to our community and customers: thank you for your trust. We won’t let you down.”
