Coldplay kiss cam scandal: Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral concert moment

The CEO of US-based tech company Astronomer, Andy Byron, has stepped down after a video from a Coldplay concert showing him in a compromising moment with a fellow executive went viral.

The company, valued at over $1.3 billion, confirmed Byron’s resignation in a statement released Saturday morning, saying: “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability — and recently, that standard was not met.”

Byron had served as chief executive since July 2023. He and Astronomer’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot — both of whom have families — were caught on the stadium’s kiss cam during Coldplay’s July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Boston.

The footage, which quickly went viral, showed the two embracing before abruptly trying to hide their faces when they realised they were on screen.

The awkward moment, widely circulated online, sparked public speculation about an alleged workplace affair. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin even quipped during the show, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

Company responds, launches investigation

Astronomer initially placed both Byron and Cabot on leave pending a formal investigation. The firm reiterated that no other employees were involved and dismissed online rumours wrongly identifying other staff members.

“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,” the company said in a follow-up statement.

“While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.”

Leadership transition underway

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement. Astronomer said the shake-up is part of its continued commitment to maintaining the integrity of its workplace culture.

“We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.”