Andy Byron, the CEO of Astronomer, who has been going viral following his recent appearance at a Coldplay concert, has been placed on leave by his company.
During Wednesday's Coldplay performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, frontman Chris Martin unintentionally set off a firestorm when he spotlighted a "couple" on the band's infamous Kiss Cam.
Internet sleuths and news publications have since identified that tech CEO Andy Byron could be seen seemingly wrapping his arms around his Head of HR, Kristin Cabot.
Responding in real-time, frontman Martin said to the crowd: “Oh, look at these two … All right, c’mon, you’re okay. … Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're very shy.”
The duo immediately became flustered - Byron ducked behind a barrier, while Cabot covered her face and fled the spotlight, rushing behind another concertgoer.
Later in the show, Martin addressed the atmosphere, adding, per The Guardian: “Holy s***… I hope we didn’t do something bad.”
Footage shared widely on TikTok by Grace Springer quickly amassed millions of views.
She later told The US 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.”
While she confessed feeling remorse, she also noted: “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.”
With online sleuthing identifying Astronomer as the company involved, and rumors swirling around an alleged workplace affair, Astronomer’s board took swift action.
A spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE on July 18: “Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days.”
The company also released a LinkedIn statement: “We are 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. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
Astronomer noted that Byron has not made any statement as of this writing and clarified that reports about additional employees in the clip were incorrect.
Byron, who became CEO in July 2023, recently praised Cabot, who joined in November 2023, as a “proven leader” with “exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies.”
Cabot herself expressed excitement on LinkedIn, speaking of being “energised in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team.”
Despite the clip's explosive reach, neither Byron nor Cabot has publicly addressed the moment or the surrounding rumor mill. A reported apology from Byron circulating online was quickly debunked as fake.