logo
Astronomer CEO resigns after Coldplay video goes viral

Astronomer CEO resigns after Coldplay video goes viral

The Hill6 days ago
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The CEO of Astronomer, a New York-based tech company, resigned Saturday following speculation surrounding a moment caught on camera during a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts this week.
A viral video showed a couple quickly hiding from the camera after being shown on the big screen at a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
Coldplay front man Chris Martin teased the two after witnessing their reaction, saying: 'Either they're having an affair or they're really shy.'
Not long after, rumors began to circulate, connecting the couple to the tech company.
Astronomer first addressed the rumors Friday by releasing a statement on social media platform X, notifying that the CEO of their company, Andy Byron, had been placed on leave while an investigation was launched.
On Saturday, the company released a follow-up statement announcing that Andy Byron had tendered his resignation and its board had accepted.
'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.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

From Justin Timberlake's lackluster performance to Coldplay's 'kiss cam' scandal, concerts are making headlines this summer — but not for the music
From Justin Timberlake's lackluster performance to Coldplay's 'kiss cam' scandal, concerts are making headlines this summer — but not for the music

Yahoo

time7 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

From Justin Timberlake's lackluster performance to Coldplay's 'kiss cam' scandal, concerts are making headlines this summer — but not for the music

Timberlake fans waited in the rain — and then accused the singer of giving a "soulless" performance. Each year, millions of people purchase tickets to see their favorite artists live in concert — and that number is only growing. And while Taylor Swift may not currently be performing, following the end of her nearly two-year Eras Tour, other stars, such as Beyoncé and Coldplay, are filling in the gap, attracting massive crowds and making headlines. But several recent concerts have made waves this summer for reasons unrelated to the music. In fact, some of the biggest pop culture moments of the season so far have taken place at concerts, from a major 'kiss cam' scandal to a pop star who doesn't appear to be singing much. Justin Timberlake gets called out for not singing Justin Timberlake has been known for his vocal range since his NSync days, which is why many fans were surprised to find that, during his recent world tour, he didn't seem to be singing all that much. Multiple videos posted on social media this month from different shows across the tour show the 'SexyBack' artist singing a few bars before holding out the mic for the audience to take the rest of a verse. During a July 17 performance at Transylvania's Electric Castle festival, fans who waited in the rain for JT later accused him of giving a middling performance. In an Instagram post, Timberlake thanked fans for attending the 'wild show' and 'rockin' with me in the rain,' but many fans expressed their disappointment in the comments. 'Not THAT wild of a show … and I'm a huge fan,' one wrote. 'The delay I got, I accepted it, but the part with you not singing even your most famous verses.. nope, I did not. Us in the crowd wanted to hear you sing the songs we played at home over and over again and danced on so many times, but unfortunately you did not deliver this time.' Another commenter wrote that they bought tickets to the festival just for Timberlake and 'waited patiently' for the show to start even after a 'big delay.' However, they wrote, 'something happened.' 'You did not click with the crowd, the show felt soulless and bored, ended abruptly and earlier,' the commenter continued. 'It was disrespectful towards the many thousands of people waiting for you. Too bad, could have been a nice evening.' Still, others defended Timberlake, arguing that it seemed clear — at least at the Electric Castle festival performance — that the Social Network actor was under the weather. Katy Perry almost falls out of the air midsong Katy Perry's Lifetimes Tour has been endlessly memed on social media, with fans both delighted and baffled by the futuristic-themed spectacle. Some have called it 'messy, while others have found the show emblematic of the campy charm Perry is known for. But Perry's performance of 'Roar' during her July 18 concert in San Francisco inspired genuine fear from the audience when the mechanical butterfly she was hanging on to dropped unexpectedly. Perry handled the situation like a pro (and fortunately she held tight to the butterfly!), but the reactions made clear that aerial stunts are not for the faint of heart — whether you're a performer or just below one in the audience. Coldplay sparks a 'kiss cam' scandal During Coldplay's July 16 show at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, the band's frontman, Chris Martin, had some fun with the crowd while performing 'The Jumbotron Song.' When a couple showed up on the "kiss cam" and then ducked out of view immediately, Martin joked that they were either 'having an affair' or 'just very shy.' Turns out, Martin was correct. The internet did its thing and quickly discovered the identities of the people at the concert, the CEO of tech firm Astronomer, Andy Byron, and his chief people officer, Kristin Cabot. Both are married to other people. The awkward moment sparked endless memes as well as conversations about privacy in today's digital age. Beyoncé is left hanging after a concert malfunction Perry isn't the only pop star who was left dangling onstage due to a faulty prop. Beyoncé's July 28 concert in her hometown of Houston ended abruptly after the flying car prop she was seated in while singing '16 Carriages' malfunctioned, leaving her suspended and tilted in midair. After stopping the song, Beyoncé was eventually lowered and able to get out of the car safely. She even returned to finish performing the hit track from her Cowboy Carter album after a brief pause backstage. Solve the daily Crossword

‘Possibly hostile' alien threat detected in unknown interstellar object, a shocking new study claims
‘Possibly hostile' alien threat detected in unknown interstellar object, a shocking new study claims

New York Post

time38 minutes ago

  • New York Post

‘Possibly hostile' alien threat detected in unknown interstellar object, a shocking new study claims

A mysterious intergalactic object could potentially be a 'hostile' alien spacecraft that's slated to attack our planet in November, according to a controversial new study by a small group of scientists. 'The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity,' the researchers wrote in the inflammatory paper, which was published July 16 to the preprint server arXiv, South West News Service reported. 3 Comet 3I/ATLAS streaks across a dense star field in this image captured by the Gemini North telescope's Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph, July 2025. NSF NOIRLab/ Ob et al. / SWNS Advertisement Dubbed 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar entity was discovered on July 1, rocketing toward the sun at more than 130,000 mph, Live Science reported. Less than 24 hours later, it was confirmed to be an interstellar object with initial observations suggesting that it could be a comet that measures up to 15 miles in diameter — larger than Manhattan. However, in the new paper, the trio of researchers suggested that it might be a piece of extraterrestrial spy technology in disguise. One of the researchers, Avi Loeb — a prominent Harvard astrophysicist known for linking extraterrestrial objects to alien life — previously made waves after floating the theory that 2017 interstellar object ʻOumuamua could be an artificial recon probe sent by an alien civilization, based on its odd shape and acceleration. Advertisement In this study, which he collaborated on with Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies in London, Loeb postulated that 3I/ATLAS's trajectory suggests a similarly alien origin. The trio felt the object's speed — which was significantly faster than ʻOumuamua and other objects — and the fact that it entered our solar system from a different angle than its predecessors offer 'various benefits to an extraterrestrial intelligence,' Loeb wrote in a blog post. 3 'The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity,' the researchers wrote in the inflammatory paper. ESA/Hubble/NASA/ESO/ / SWNS One benefit is that 3I/ATLAS will make close approaches to Jupiter, Mars and Venus, which could allow aliens to stealthily plant spy 'gadgets' there, Loeb wrote. Advertisement When the so-called undercover UFO reaches its closest to the Sun (perihelion) in late November, it will be concealed from Earth's view. 'This could be intentional to avoid detailed observations from Earth-based telescopes when the object is brightest or when gadgets are sent to Earth from that hidden vantage point,' Loeb declared. If this anomaly is a 'technological artifact,' this could support the dark forest hypothesis, which argues we haven't found signs of extraterrestrial entities because they are remaining undercover to shield themselves from predators or prey. Loeb warns that this could suggest that an attack is likely and would 'possibly require defensive measures to be undertaken.' 3 The Deep Random Survey telescope managed to capture images of interstellar object 3I/Atlas (pictured) in July 2025. K Ly/Deep Random Survey / SWNS Advertisement The problem is that 3I/ATLAS is traveling too fast for an Earth-based spacecraft to intercept it before it exits the solar system. 'It is therefore impractical for earthlings to land on 3I/ATLAS at closest approach by boarding chemical rockets, since our best rockets reach at most a third of that speed,' Loeb wrote. However, other scientists have thrown cold water on the so-called alien origins of the object, which they believe is a comet. 'All evidence points to this being an ordinary comet that was ejected from another solar system, just as countless billions of comets have been ejected from our own solar system,' added Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina in Canada who studies solar system dynamics, Live Science reported. In fact, even Loeb admitted in his blog that his alien spy probe theory is a bit far-fetched: 'By far, the most likely outcome will be that 3I/ATLAS is a completely natural interstellar object, probably a comet.' The researchers also warned the public to take the paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, with a grain of salt. 'This paper is contingent on a remarkable but, as we shall show, testable hypothesis, to which the authors do not necessarily ascribe, yet is certainly worthy of an analysis and a report,' they wrote. 'The hypothesis is an interesting exercise in its own right, and is fun to pursue, irrespective of its likely validity.' Advertisement However, critics have called their project a mockery of the work of other scientists, who have provided plenty of evidence that 3I/ATLAS is not evidence of a pending close encounter. 'Astronomers all around the world have been thrilled at the arrival of 3I/ATLAS, collaborating to use advanced telescopes to learn about this visitor,' Chris Lintott, an astronomer at the University of Oxford who helped simulate 3I/ATLAS's galactic origins, told Live Science. 'Any suggestion that it's artificial is nonsense on stilts, and is an insult to the exciting work going on to understand this object.'

From Iceland to the Bay Area, Anna Thorvaldsdottir maps the music of a changing world
From Iceland to the Bay Area, Anna Thorvaldsdottir maps the music of a changing world

San Francisco Chronicle​

time38 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

From Iceland to the Bay Area, Anna Thorvaldsdottir maps the music of a changing world

Icelandic composer Anna Thordvaldsdottir's music rumbled through Davies Symphony Hall in May when the San Francisco Symphony presented the world premiere of her explosive cello concerto 'Before we fall.' Bay Area audiences will have another chance to hear Thordvaldsdottir's mighty sonic world brought to life at the Cabrillo Festival when 'Catamorphosis' receives its West Coast premiere from the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra under the baton of Music Director Cristian Măcelaru on Aug. 9. On the same program is Lou Harrison's Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra and the world premiere of Brooklyn-based composer Darian Donovan Thomas' 'Flowercloud.' 'Catamorphosis' (2020), is a dramatic, existential work that explores our relationship with the world around us. According to program notes on her website, the piece is 'characterized by the orbiting vortex of emotions and the intensity that comes with the fact that if things do not change it is going to be too late, risking utter destruction – catastrophe.' Thordvaldsdottir has been commissioned by many of the world's top orchestras, including the Berlin, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, but her work was once seldom played on Bay Area stages. That changed when conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen brought her 'Metacosmos ' to San Francisco in 2019—after conducting its world premiere in New York the year before—as part of his first concert with the San Francisco Symphony after being named its music director designate. Thorvaldsdottir's musical training began as a cellist. Later, she studied composition at the Iceland Academy for the Arts then moved out to California for four years to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of San Diego. 'It was a wonderful place to be and a very creative environment,' she said. 'And I've always loved coming back. California was so different from Iceland—that was the only place I'd lived before I moved—so it was spectacular.' Q: You've written that the inspiration behind 'Catamorphosis' was the fragile relationship we have to the Earth. Since you first wrote it, has your perspective changed? A: I don't usually talk so explicitly about direct inspirations. But in this case, it was just such a big part of the overall aura and the urgency of the piece. How it moves and the battles it fights and also the hope that it attempts to show. I also just wanted to say, "Hey, this is what I was thinking about." A: (But) inspiration is only the beginning and then it's a lot of technical work about the music. So nobody needs to know anything. And they find something for themselves, ideally. Q: A few years ago, you said in an interview that you literally draw out the music before you put it into notation. How does that help with your process? A: This is really a mnemonic device for me, because when the mind is starting to find the ideas and the aura and the atmosphere for each piece—lyricism, harmony, all these things that come together to be the music. It's so quick for me to draw it out. Sometimes it's words, sometimes it's very graphic, always very textual because it really depicts what it is that I'm hearing to remember the music. Q: Do you ever forget a compositional idea prior to writing it down? A: Well, probably, but never so that I've missed it. But the thing is, it's so magical. The mind keeps working and I believe that then you just turn it into something better, in a way. You may not lose it, but you may kind of change it without even knowing. Q: Does writing come to you in bursts of inspiration, or do you write until you've reached a goal for the day? A: With the actual music making you go from nothing to the idea of a piece. A lot of that happens in my mind and with the sketching, because I never sit down with a paper and pencil and the notation paper unless I know exactly what I'm writing. So much of it happens with myself living with the music in real time in my head and singing, because you can't be doing a million different other things when you're finding the music. I never use an instrument because I usually am writing for a lot of different instruments and I can listen to them in my mind.' I'm obsessed with structure and I always need to be checking myself. So this is what I do in my head and with the sketches — for me it's a map. Q: Do you prefer pencil and paper or computer? A: I'm still on paper, always, first. But that's also because it has so much freedom. You can have big, big pieces of paper, whereas a computer screen can only be [so] big. And [I don't want] a program telling [me], "no, this is not possible." In the end, when I put [the music] into the computer, I find ways to communicate some things that are not so straightforward in the notation. A: As you said, I was not a part of the production or making the film at all, but I got sent part of the script a year and a half before the movie came out. I was very curious, so I just asked a couple of questions and then, and because they were asking if it was okay to use my piece, I learned [that it] was one of the first scenes that he wrote [for] the movie. I thought, yeah 'that's incredible like using my art and myself, perhaps, to make your own art.' So I wasn't involved, but I really liked the movie. I saw it.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store