Astronomer's HR Exec In Coldplay Storm Married Into Elite 'Boston Brahmin' Clan, Owns $2.2 Mn Home
What began as an ordinary night under the lights of Gillette Stadium where crowds gathered to listen to Coldplay soon became a moment that turned two prominent professionals—and their families—into unexpected fodder for rumour mills the world over.
While much has been said—and mocked—about the duo's awkward appearance on the stadium's 'Kiss Cam' that opened a Pandora's box and placed them at the center of a global viral storm, what made the story particularly irresistible to the public was that Kristin Cabot is a member by marriage of Boston's legendary Cabot family—one of the so-called 'Boston Brahmins".
Boston Brahmins, often called the First Families of Boston, belong to the long-established, affluent, and socially prestigious families of Boston, Massachusetts. Initially, the term described a collection of upper-class, Anglo-Saxon Protestant lineages that held considerable cultural, social, and political influence in New England from the 1700s through the early 1900s.
According to the New York Post, the Cabots are so revered that a famous local poem claims, 'the Lowells talk only to Cabots, and the Cabots talk only to God", emphasising their centuries-long status atop New England's social hierarchy.
The report, detailing Kristin's family life, said she is married to Andrew Cabot, the sixth-generation owner of Privateer Rum, a family-run spirits company built on old industrial fortune. The Cabots' wealth originally stemmed from the 'carbon black" industry, key to tire manufacturing, a legacy that has stretched across ten generations in Boston's aristocracy.
The Economic Times reported that with over 20 years of experience in HR leadership, Kristin joined Astronomer—one of the US' rising AI-data firms—as Chief People Officer, bringing expertise in organisational design, executive coaching, and leadership transitions. Her marriage to Andrew Cabot added her to the exclusive ranks of Boston's old money, with their family residing in a $2.2 million house, according to ET.
THE COLDPLAY SAGA
As the video of the drama that unfolded at the Coldplay concert spread, Astronomer's management found it difficult to contain the damage. The company issued a statement saying: 'Although our visibility may have shifted dramatically overnight, our offerings and dedication to our clients remain unchanged." However, on Saturday, Andy Byron resigned from his CEO position, following internal assertions that 'our leaders are expected to set the standard. Recently, that standard was not met".
Megan Kerrigan, Byron's wife, was quick to remove her husband's surname from social media and eventually deleted her accounts. Kristin Cabot, meanwhile, was placed on leave by Astronomer. Kristin and Andrew Cabot both have children, and she had previously gone through a public divorce, finalised in 2022, the Hindustan Times added.
The Coldplay kiss cam may have lasted seconds, but for Kristin Cabot and her circle, its reverberations will echo far longer.
First Published:
July 21, 2025, 14:33 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
So, what do HR teams actually do?
Modern work culture is a self-contained bubble where people say nonsense with extraordinary confidence A few weeks back, after the CEO of data platform company Astronomer, Andy Byron, and the company's HR head, Kristin Cabot, resigned - after being sadly 'caught' like deer in Coldplay headlights - many people arrived at a question they rarely ask out aloud: What does HR actually do? (Privacy at public spaces like concerts remains a separate question. But in most places, undisclosed relationships within workplace hierarchies fall foul of company policies.)No one, it seems, has an answer. Human resources may, in fact, be the strangest post-invention known to a workplace. According to its job description, HR is meant to 'manage all aspects of an employee's life cycle' and 'foster a positive working environment.' Which, frankly, has one scratching one's head right from the onset. 'Manage all aspects of an employee's life cycle' could mean just about anything. Like the HR team at my last job, which had the audacity to offer women - already fraying under institutional patriarchy - a free manicure coupon for International Women's Day. Which really tells us nothing, except what we already know and don't need a brush with HR to find out: one person's positive is another's poison. Besides, how can people who aren't trained in the actual jobs employees do possibly manage their entire life cycle? By their own description, HR professionals are trained in 'positivity', and 'employee management' and can move seamlessly from companies selling ketchup to those making nuclear weapons. To date, no one - and I've whispered it myself behind mugs of black coffee and through eyerolls - has answered this of the confusion lies in the strange, bloated language of corporate life. Modern work culture is now a self-contained bubble where people say absolute nonsense with extraordinary confidence. The American workplace vocabulary spawned by B-schools became mainstream through the 1980s and 1990s with the rise of management consultancies, Silicon Valley, and self-help business promoted the idea of the worker as the 'entrepreneur of their own self,' with the entire purpose of existence henceforth being the marketing and branding of that self. This language spread across the world via popular American dramas and sitcoms - Ally McBeal, Friends, The Office, Suits - and now parodies itself across LinkedIn profiles worldwide. Here, a man can bleed out his soul in public and it becomes a marketing lesson. A woman can combust from PTSD, and it becomes a case study in told we must constantly 'reinvent ourselves to stay relevant' - a line so exhausted it forgets that 'relevant' already contains the 're-' in it. At 20, you're not 'creating content'. You're just beginning to figure things out. At 30, you're not 'networking'. You're naturally curious about the world and its connections. And at 40, you're not 'reinventing'. You're TV shows like Silicon Valley, Severance, and even older satires like Dilbert and The Devil Wears Prada have held up a mirror to this culture. Entire books have analysed its roots - Barbara Ehrenreich's 2009 Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World, and David Graeber's 2018 Bullshit Jobs: A Theory being especially memorable are among them. On LinkedIn, it all collapses into clapping emojis and humblebrags, like a bad parody stuck on loop. As the Coldplay debacle continues to putter along in memes and gags across the internet, people in workplaces are watching with silent glee as this toxic world of self-bestowed titles - 'positivity,' 'reinvention,' and 'energised leadership' - collapses in on itself like a cruel joke, with a Coldplay-loving CEO ducking under the first available table. That Astronomer's HR head and CEO were caught in an embrace so graphic - Byron wasn't holding Cabot's waist, but her breasts - has only made the moment more visceral: a perfect picture of corporate hypocrisy hiding behind 'corporate culture' rules drawn up by - who else? - HR. Everyone's brimming over with laughter at the punchline - a joke HR never meant to deliver, but did anyway. And that just makes it sit in that sweet HR spot where every delight, like injury, is unintended. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. BlackRock returns, this time with Ambani. Will it be lucky second time? The airport lounge war has begun — and DreamFolks is losing End of an era: The Maggi Man who rebuilt Nestlé India bows out India's last cement IPO did not work. Can JSW Cement break that curse? Is Shadowfax closing in on its closest rival? Stock Radar: APL Apollo Tubes stock fails to hold momentum after hitting highs in June; what should traders do? Buy, Sell or Hold: Avendus trims target on Titan Company; Motila Oswal maintains buy on Jindal Stainless These large- and mid-cap stocks may give more than 25% return in 1 year, according to analysts
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Disgraced ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron blew over ₹2 core on OnlyFans; creator says ‘multiple girls' involved
Astronomer's disgraced former CEO Andy Byron is once again in the spotlight. This time, for new bombshell allegations that have revealed that the ex-CEO reportedly spent over $250,000 (~ ₹ 2.18 crore) on subscriptions, custom content, and video calls with multiple OnlyFans creators. According to The Blast, Bop House creator Camilla Araujo claimed she had seen the receipts. "We're talking a quarter million in sub fees, custom content, and video calls. Not just with Sophie, with multiple girls.' Andy Byron, Kristin Cabot — these two names came into the spotlight after a 'Kiss Cam,' at a Coldplay concert in Boston, captured the two, locked in a tight embrace. The 'oops' moment that soon followed, went viral on social media, with netizens buzzing about it for days. The fresh wave of allegations about Byron spending over $250,000 comes days after the ex-CEO faced backlash over explicit messages allegedly leaked by Kerrigan, showing Byron using a secret 'Finsta' account to communicate with OnlyFans star Sophie Rain. The screenshots suggest the former CEO offered up to $40,000 for private content and requested explicit video calls, reported The Blast. One exchange allegedly shows Byron telling Rain, 'All good. Most guys I talk to are married,' to which she seemingly replied, 'Okay, call me in 5 minutes, along with a 'winky face' emoji". In the immediate aftermath of the viral moment, both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot were placed on administrative leave. Some days later, Byron stepped down from the position of CEO. "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.
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Disgraced ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron blew over ₹2 core on OnlyFans; creator says ‘multiple girls' involved
Astronomer's disgraced former CEO Andy Byron is once again in the spotlight. This time, for new bombshell allegations that have revealed that the ex-CEO reportedly spent over $250,000 (~ ₹ 2.18 crore) on subscriptions, custom content, and video calls with multiple OnlyFans creators. According to The Blast, Bop House creator Camilla Araujo claimed she had seen the receipts. "We're talking a quarter million in sub fees, custom content, and video calls. Not just with Sophie, with multiple girls.' Andy Byron, Kristin Cabot — these two names came into the spotlight after a 'Kiss Cam,' at a Coldplay concert in Boston, captured the two, locked in a tight embrace. The 'oops' moment that soon followed, went viral on social media, with netizens buzzing about it for days. The fresh wave of allegations about Byron spending over $250,000 comes days after the ex-CEO faced backlash over explicit messages allegedly leaked by Kerrigan, showing Byron using a secret 'Finsta' account to communicate with OnlyFans star Sophie Rain. The screenshots suggest the former CEO offered up to $40,000 for private content and requested explicit video calls, reported The Blast. One exchange allegedly shows Byron telling Rain, 'All good. Most guys I talk to are married,' to which she seemingly replied, 'Okay, call me in 5 minutes, along with a 'winky face' emoji". In the immediate aftermath of the viral moment, both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot were placed on administrative leave. Some days later, Byron stepped down from the position of CEO. "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," read the company's statement.
