Viral Coldplay kiss cam scandal gets uglier as 2018 report resurfaces alleging Andy Byron's toxic leadership
, the recently suspended CEO of data company
Astronomer
, is facing renewed scrutiny after a viral kiss cam video from a
Coldplay concert
showed him with the firm's HR head, Kristin Cabot. The incident sparked outrage online, but what followed was a flood of fresh claims from former employees, many pointing to a long pattern of toxic leadership.
Trouble Started Years Ago?
A 2018 report on the startup Cybereason, where Byron once served as Chief Revenue Officer, highlighted early concerns. The SoftBank-backed company reportedly began experiencing major internal issues shortly after Byron joined.
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'Multiple former employees said Mr Byron would lash out against employees who disagreed with him, including threatening to fire them,' the report said. 'You couldn't challenge him,' one former employee added. According to the same report, Cybereason's culture went from being open and transparent to one where people felt silenced.
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Byron had defended his actions at the time, stating that his job was to prepare the company for growth and that 'difficult decisions' had to be made, which might have upset some people.
Old Crew, New Problems?
When Byron moved to Cybereason, he brought along a group of salespeople from his former workplace, Fuze. This reportedly added to the internal divide. Now in 2025, the viral Coldplay moment has become a tipping point. Disgruntled ex-employees are speaking up, with some even claiming that private social media groups of former staff were flooded with stories of Byron's alleged workplace toxicity after the video went viral.
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Astronomer Responds
Following the public backlash, Astronomer announced that Andy Byron had been suspended and named Pete DeJoy as the interim CEO. Ry Walker, the company's co-founder and former CEO, reacted to the news online.
'I've only ever been on a call with Andy once,' Walker said. 'Everyone on the team praised his leadership to me. So this comes as a big surprise.' He added, 'I'm no longer involved in @astronomerio, not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate.'
As the company tries to do damage control, it's clear the Coldplay concert wasn't just a PR blunder, it opened a floodgate. With past and present employees now speaking up, Astronomer and Andy Byron both face growing pressure to address deeper issues beyond a viral video.
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