Andy Byron, the CEO of Astronomer, who was caught on camera seemingly embracing a colleague at a Coldplay concert, has resigned.
The announcement comes after Coldplay's concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on Wednesday. As part of their show routine, the band activated the kiss cam - a stadium staple that usually delivers giggles and occasional awkwardness.
But when the lens panned to tech boss Byron and Astronomer’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot, things took a sudden turn.
Byron, seemingly caught off guard by the stadium screen, quickly pulled away from the embrace and ducked out of view. Cabot, equally flustered, turned her back to the camera. The moment prompted a quip from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin: "Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy."
That clip was quickly shared on social media, capturing widespread attention.
Shortly after the footage gained traction, Astronomer announced a formal investigation and placed Byron on leave.
On July 18, the company posted an update on LinkedIn: “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.”
They continued: “The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
As per Sky News, Andy Byron, the now-former CEO of Astronomer, has resigned from his position.
In a statement posted to LinkedIn, the company said: "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.
"Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.
"Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI.
"While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.
"We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems."
The video was originally posted by concertgoer Grace Springer, who told The U.S. Sun: “I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it.”
Although she later expressed mixed feelings about the fallout, she added: “A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes. I hope their partners can heal … I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise.”