Who is Kristin Cabot, the HR executive at the centre of the Coldplay cheating scandal — and is she from a wealthy Boston Brahmin family?

Dubai: A brief, awkward moment during a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, has spiralled into a scandal involving tech industry leaders, generational wealth, and blurred personal-professional boundaries.

At the centre of the controversy are Kristin Cabot, head of human resources at the tech firm Astronomer, and her then-boss — CEO Andy Byron.

During the concert earlier this week, the stadium’s ‘kiss cam’ zoomed in on a couple in the audience. Instead of playing along, she turned away and he ducked, visibly startled by the attention. The moment went viral within hours.

Soon, the internet identified them as Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot — both married to other people.

Kristin Cabot is more than a corporate HR executive — she’s also married into one of Boston’s most powerful families. Her husband, Andrew Cabot, is the sixth-generation owner of Privateer Rum and part of the Cabot family, a dynasty often associated with Boston’s “Brahmin” elite.

The Cabots made their fortune in “carbon black” — an industrial material used in tyre manufacturing — and their influence in Boston spans ten generations. As a popular local rhyme goes:
"Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots / And the Cabots talk only to God."

Kristin’s previous marriage ended in divorce in 2022. She is currently on leave from her role at Astronomer.

Andy Byron was, until recently, the CEO of Astronomer, a company that helps businesses manage large-scale data infrastructure using Apache Airflow. He was a respected figure in the tech industry, known for leading several high-growth software companies.

Following the viral exposure of his apparent affair with Cabot — a subordinate — Byron has now resigned from his position at Astronomer. The company also put out a statement slamming the obvious breach of workplace ethics.

“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 controversy has raised broader concerns about professional boundaries, workplace ethics, and the implications of personal relationships in positions of power.

Both Cabot and Byron have gone silent publicly. Kristin remains on leave, while Byron has stepped down. Astronomer has issued a statement

While the internet has dissected this story in real time, it’s important to acknowledge that behind the memes and viral videos are real people — spouses, children, and extended families who did not ask to be part of this.