logo
Astronomer launches probe into CEO Andy Byron after Coldplay kiss cam scandal

Astronomer launches probe into CEO Andy Byron after Coldplay kiss cam scandal

Astronomer has launched a formal investigation into CEO Andy Byron following the explosive fallout from the Coldplay kiss cam debacle.
The company's married chief executive and a blonde woman, believed to be Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's chief people officer, were caught in a clinch when they popped up on the giant screen during the British band's gig.
The pair looked mortified after being exposed on camera in front of 55,000 spectators at Boston's Gillette Stadium.
Astronomer has now launched an investigation into the incident, reports the Mirror.
In a statement posted on its LinkedIn page, the firm said: "Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. (Image: Reddit)
"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.
"Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect."
The Mirror has approached Astronomer for a response.
Byron was captured with his arms wrapped around the woman when they flashed up on the display. Their shell-shocked response sparked claims that both individuals were embroiled in an affair, though no official verification of this has been provided. (Image: instaagraace/Tiktok)
Their awkward moment has racked up millions of views across the internet and has transformed into a viral sensation.
Clips also surfaced showing Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin wincing as the duo attempted to duck out of sight. The celeb was caught off guard, exclaiming: "I don't know what to do. Oh, s***, I hope we didn't do something bad."
In the initial viral clip, Martin quipped about the duo's behaviour, pondering if they were "having an affair, or they're just very shy."
Moments after, Byron withdrew his arm and hid behind a barrier as the woman shielded her face. The couple were caught on a kiss-cam (Image: X/Mrs. SpaceX/@anuibi)
The Coldplay fan who captured the incident confessed to The US Sun that sparking a scandal wasn't her intention, yet she stood by her decision to post the video. She elaborated: "I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it."
She admitted feeling a pang of guilt for disrupting their lives but concluded with a pointed remark: "A part of me feels bad for turning these people's lives upside down, but, play stupid games... win stupid prizes."
Byron, identified as the CEO of Astronomer, helms a firm reportedly worth over a staggering $1.3 billion (€1.1bn) as of July 23.
Get all the big crime and court stories direct to your phone on our new WhatsApp service. Sign up here.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

My awkward moment with ballsy Suranne Jones explains why she, Keeley Hawes & top female stars have ditched the BBC & ITV
My awkward moment with ballsy Suranne Jones explains why she, Keeley Hawes & top female stars have ditched the BBC & ITV

The Irish Sun

time21 minutes ago

  • The Irish Sun

My awkward moment with ballsy Suranne Jones explains why she, Keeley Hawes & top female stars have ditched the BBC & ITV

AFTER three guys' brains are blown out, another bloke's throat is ripped open with a crowbar before a fifth is despatched by a knife to the eyesocket - all at the hands of a shadowy executioner played, unbelievably, by Keeley Hawes. That's just the first three, breathtaking minutes of her new Prime Video thriller The Assassin, in the latest example of a top British actress shifting to the streamers - and not giving a damn about the fact they forged their careers on the likes of ITV and BBC. Advertisement 6 Suranne Jones at the National Television Awards in 2018 where my question received a frosty response Credit: Getty 6 Suranne in the new Netflix show Hostage, which drops next month Credit: NETFLIX It comes as no surprise to me just how gutsy and determined they are because, as TV Editor, I've met virtually all of them while reporting on hundreds of dramas over the years - one particular brush with one of these ballsy a-listers is still burned in my memory. Standing on a stage with around 100 people watching on she said: "Because I'd have to ask him what he got paid and I just can't do that." Advertisement Without realising it I impulsively flashed her an expression which said: "Well, you probably could, couldn't you?" And Suranne could have just left the little interaction there. Except - and I absolutely love her for this - she didn't. Frightened dormouse "Well, you pull a face," she snapped back, with the brassiness of her former Corrie character Karen McDonald, "but I just can't can I?" At that point the whole room went quiet, she fixed me with a glare, I stared back like a frightened dormouse and the whole room - including her husband Laurence Akers - glared at me for what felt like an hour (it was probably about ten seconds.) Only one of Keeley's knives in the eyeballs would have felt less painful. Now, an average star probably wouldn't have publicly hit back at me like that, but then Suranne isn't your average star. Like Advertisement Which is why, just like Keeley, she's also about to launch her own drama with a streaming giant. Which is quite a leap from playing a Corrie barmaid on ITV. But it's the same leap, with the same streamer, that's been made by 6 Sarah Lancashire in the hit BBC series Happy Valley Credit: BBC Sarah is another one I've done interviews with where, if you dare ask a stupid question, she'll stop you in your tracks and tell you it's a stupid question. And why shouldn't she? She's Sarah Lancashire. She can do that. It only makes me respect her more. Advertisement The list of daring defectors doesn't stop there. Meanwhile the likes of Sheridan Smith, Katherine Kelly and Gemma Arterton, who've all been increasingly dipping their toes in the streamers' waters. 6 Keeley in ITV's The Durrells Credit: ITV 6 And in her gritty new Amazon Prime role in the drama The Assassin Credit: Prime / TNI Though none of them can quite compare with Advertisement Over the past three years she has made seven dramas, four of which have been for non-terrestrial services. As well as The Assassin there was Scoop on Netflix, Orphan Black: Echoes on US cable channel AMC and Sky's supernatural thriller, The Midwich Cuckoos. Before too long there'll be a tipping point where we'll almost only ever see these hugely popular actresses on the streamers - and there's only one way that the likes of BBC, ITV and Channel 4 can stop the rot. The majority of these household names had their big breaks on the terrestrial channels. But these hugely successful women want control by being made exec producers. They want good money (just like the men). And they want to cherry pick daring shows which will provide them with a global audience. The cash-strapped terrestrials will struggle to give them all of that. For us viewers, there's some comfort in the fact that they won't abandon the holy trinity of TV overnight, and we'll still see them pop up here and there on regular telly for a while longer. Advertisement 6 Suranne fired back when I asked her about equal pay for women stars Credit: GETTY Plus, this isn't a fait accomplis. What the execs at the Beeb and commercial channels do need to do is radically change what roles they offer these stars. They need to quit their obsession with conventional period dramas and route one crime thrillers and turn twee Keeley into a killer, or It isn't just about money (though, admittedly, that does help) it's more about giving these stars roles the chance to spread their wings as producers and as performers. But, based on my experiences of these amazing women, they're going to have to grow some sizable kahunas to do it. Advertisement

The timeline on Coldplay-gate as Kristin Cabot resigns
The timeline on Coldplay-gate as Kristin Cabot resigns

Extra.ie​

time21 minutes ago

  • Extra.ie​

The timeline on Coldplay-gate as Kristin Cabot resigns

The couple who were caught in each other's arms at a Coldplay concert have both resigned from their respective roles in a tech company. It's an age-old story: married boy meets married girl, married boy and married girl go to a romantic concert where they're immediately filmed on a kiss cam, and instead of playing it off immediately try to go into hiding, which can have many people read between the lines. But just how did we get here? @instaagraace trouble in paradise?? 👀 #coldplay #boston #coldplayconcert #kisscam #fyp ♬ original sound – grace Coldplay were continuing their tour in Gillette Stadium at Foxborough, Massachusetts, when they started a kiss cam to the delight of the audience. When the camera panned to a very loved-up couple, frontman Chris Martin remarked: 'Aw, look at these two' — and instead of brushing it off and kissing for the camera in order to minimise the virality of such a moment, the woman in the video covered her face while the man ducked out of the camera shot. Chris tried to play it off, before joking to the crowd: 'Either they're having an affair or are just very shy.' Alas, the video gained millions of views overnight on TikTok. The pair were quick to hide their identities, but the damage was done, gaining over 100million views on TikTok. Pic: Instaagraace via TikTok The pair were then identified as Andy Byron, CEO of the company Astronomer, and the Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot; with the pair being placed on leave by the company (after a fake statement pretending to be Mr Byron did the rounds on Twitter). While the company were hopefully waiting for the mess to blow over, it wasn't going to happen, and instead went even more viral, with people not even needing to be online to see the awkward video. While Andy Byron was the CEO of Astronomer, on our shores, there was an Andy Byron who had some explaining to do. The Dubliner, who owns Stylo Motion Design, went viral on LinkedIn after having to clarify that he wasn't the man with the same name at the Coldplay concert, writing: 'No, this isn't me. I wouldn't be caught dead at a Coldplay concert… I'm the Andy Byron who makes videos for big screens, not the one who gets caught on them. 'If you want to make video content that goes viral for the right reasons, let's connect.' Following the controversy and the fact that his name and face were now everywhere, Mr Byron announced in an official statement that he was stepping down as CEO of Astronomer. 'As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,' the company said. 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met. 'The board will begin a search for our next chief executive as co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.' Astronomer have since confirmed in a statement that Kristin Cabot has resigned as Chief People Officer at the company. The company told the BBC that Ms Cabot is no longer working for them, with interim CEO Pete DeJoy saying that the company have 'received a level of media attention that few companies – let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world – ever encounter.' He added that the company became a 'household name' overnight in the wake of the controversy, but said that they would continue their path forward and 'commitment to something great.'

Female executive caught on Coldplay cam resigns after embrace went viral
Female executive caught on Coldplay cam resigns after embrace went viral

Irish Examiner

timean hour ago

  • Irish Examiner

Female executive caught on Coldplay cam resigns after embrace went viral

The female executive who was caught on camera embracing the chief executive of her company at a Coldplay concert, in a moment that went viral, has resigned, according to news reports. Multiple news outlets reported that Kristin Cabot, the executive in charge of human resources at tech company Astronomer, has resigned. Her departure follows the resignation of chief executive Andy Byron, who quit after the company said he was being put on leave pending an investigation. The episode resulted in endless memes, parody videos and screenshots of their shocked faces filling social media feeds Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy Cabot and Byron were caught by surprise when singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song' during the concert last week at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They were shown cuddling and smiling, but when they saw themselves on the big screen, Cabot's jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera while Byron ducked out of the frame. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked in video that spread quickly around the internet. When the video first spread online it was not clear who they were, but online sleuths rapidly figured out their identities. The company has previously confirmed the identities of the couple in a statement to the AP. Both of their profiles have been removed from Astronomer's website and a November press release announcing her hiring has also been deleted. Astronomer was a previously obscure tech company based in New York. It provides big companies with a platform that helps them organise their data. Online streams of Coldplay's songs jumped 20% in the days after the video went viral, according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company.

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