Andy Byron, the chief executive of New York-based tech company Astronomer, has resigned from his role after he was spotted embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert, according to a LinkedIn post from the company on Saturday.
Astronomer’s board of directors accepted Byron’s resignation, according to the LinkedIn post, and will begin searching for its next CEO.
Following the viral video of Byron, alleged statements from Byron acknowledging the situation began to circulate online.
Astronomer said in an earlier LinkedIn post that Byron “has not put out any statement” and “reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
That statement also addressed the misidentification of a third person seen in the clip circulating on the internet in the day following the video’s release.
On Wednesday, Byron was seen with Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief people officer, on the “kiss cam” screen at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, before both ducked out of view.
“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,” the company said Saturday.
The data operations company, which was founded in 2018, acknowledged that “awareness of our company may have changed overnight,” but its mission would continue to be focused on addressing data and artificial intelligence problems.
The company on Friday said Astronomer’s co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy would serve as interim CEO.
Byron’s LinkedIn account is no longer public and he was removed from the company’s leadership page following the announcement, which now lists co-founder DeJoy as CEO.
Byron is still listed on the company’s website as a member of the board of directors.
A US tech company has placed its CEO on leave after a big screen embrace at a Coldplay concert – rumoured to involve two of its employees – went viral.
In the clip, which initially appeared on a giant screen at the Boston concert, two people are seen with their arms wrapped around each other.
When their faces appear for thousands to see, the man and woman abruptly duck and hide from the camera.
Reports that both are executives at the company Astronomer and rumours of an affair sparked by the band leader’s comment, then spread online. Late on Friday, the company confirmed on X that its CEO Andy Byron had been placed on leave.
The video of the pair swaying to music, then quickly trying to hide exploded on the internet after the concert on Wednesday night.
Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, after seeing the pair hide, said to the crowd: “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
The initial video posted to TikTok received millions of views. It was then shared across platforms, turned into memes and made fun of on television programs.
Two days after the internet became inundated with chatter about the embrace, Astronomer put out a statement announcing an investigation into the matter, without specifying the video.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the statement read. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy has been appointed interim CEO.
The man in the video is rumoured in multiple reports to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who has been with the company since July 2023. Mr Byron himself has not confirmed his identity in the video.
The woman was identified online as Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief people officer, who has been with Astronomer since November 2024. She has not confirmed her identity either.
The BBC has been unable to confirm the identities of the people in the video.
Astronomer’s statement added that Mr Byron had not released a personal statement, and that reports saying otherwise were incorrect. It also said no other employees were in the video.
Fake statements from Mr Byron went viral on Thursday.
Married tech billionaire’s cozy moment with company executive caught on stadium jumbotron goes viral, sparking cheating scandal
What was supposed to be a romantic moment at a Coldplay concert turned into a career-ending nightmare for tech CEO Andy Byron when frontman Chris Martin inadvertently exposed what appears to be a steamy affair with his own HR director.
The cringe-worthy incident unfolded Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium in Boston when the band’s “kiss cam” segment landed on Byron, 45, and his Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, who were caught in an intimate embrace that left 65,000 concertgoers gasping.
“EITHER THEY’RE HAVING AN AFFAIR OR THEY’RE VERY SHY”
Chris Martin, completely oblivious to the brewing scandal, quipped to the roaring crowd: “Oh what… either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.” The Coldplay singer’s off-the-cuff comment has since become the most damning evidence in what social media is calling the “Kiss Cam Catastrophe.”
Video footage shows Byron and Cabot sitting side-by-side, arms intertwined and bodies pressed together in what witnesses described as an “uncomfortably intimate” display. When the stadium cameras zoomed in on them, Byron’s reaction was telling – he immediately released Cabot and attempted to duck behind the crowd barrier while she covered her face with both hands in obvious embarrassment.
The moment, broadcast live on the stadium’s massive screen, drew surprised laughter from thousands in attendance who had no idea they were witnessing what could be one of the most expensive public affairs in corporate history.
BILLIONAIRE CEO’S DOUBLE LIFE EXPOSED
Andy Byron, who has helmed the billion-dollar data infrastructure company Astronomer since July 2023, is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, with whom he shares two children. Until this explosive moment, Byron maintained a squeaky-clean public image, focusing on his company’s rapid expansion in the competitive tech sector.
The billionaire CEO of Astronomer was allegedly caught cheating on his wife with company CPO Kristin Cabot at Coldplay’s concert kiss cam in Boston, Massachusetts. The footage has since gone viral across social media platforms, with users expressing outrage over what they perceive as a brazen public display of infidelity.
THE OTHER WOMAN: HR CHIEF’S HYPOCRITICAL STANCE
Kristin Cabot, who joined Astronomer in November 2024, has built her career on preaching workplace integrity and professional conduct. Details of Cabot’s personal life are unclear, but according to several comments, she is also married. In a now-deleted LinkedIn post announcing her hiring at Astronomer, she was referred to as Kristin Cabot (Thornby), which appears to reveal that Thornby is her maiden name.
The seasoned HR executive previously worked at tech giants Neo4j and Proofpoint, where she built a reputation for “building award-winning teams” and fostering employee trust. In a January 2025 interview, Cabot spoke passionately about aligning business strategy with people strategy, calling it “the key to successful organizational culture.”
Her public messaging on integrity and leadership now stands in stark contrast to the narrative playing out across social media, where users are calling out the hypocrisy of an HR chief engaging in what appears to be a workplace affair with her own CEO.
SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES WITH OUTRAGE
The clip has been shared tens of thousands of times across X and TikTok, with users expressing everything from sympathy for Byron’s wife to mockery of the couple’s poor judgment.
“Sorry for the wife but glad they’re being exposed,” wrote one user, while another asked the burning question: “Why would you attend a Coldplay concert if you’re trying to keep an affair secret?”
One observer noted: “Watch this man’s entire life disappear before his very eyes over the course of just a few seconds.”
CORPORATE CONSEQUENCES LOOM
The scandal raises serious questions about corporate governance and workplace ethics at Astronomer, a company valued at over $1 billion. Both Byron and Cabot hold senior positions within the firm, and their alleged relationship could constitute violations of company policy and professional conduct standards.
Neither Byron nor Cabot has addressed the footage publicly, and Astronomer has remained conspicuously silent on the issue. The company’s board of directors has not announced whether they plan to investigate internally or take formal disciplinary action.
THE FALLOUT CONTINUES
For Byron, who has spent years building his reputation in the competitive tech industry, the public humiliation could prove devastating both personally and professionally. The incident has already overshadowed his professional achievements and thrust his private life into the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny.
For Cabot, whose job involves maintaining workplace professionalism and developing company culture, the scandal could end her career in human resources. The irony of an HR chief potentially violating the very workplace conduct policies she’s paid to enforce has not been lost on critics.
As the video continues to circulate online, one thing is certain: this will go down as one of the most expensive concert tickets in corporate history – and a cautionary tale about the dangers of public displays of affection when you’re trying to keep a secret.
