Astronomer CEO quits after Coldplay concert canoodling - and his replacement had eyebrow-raising reaction to scandal
'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,' the company said in a statement Saturday.
'Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.'
The company's board could have chosen to fire Byron, leaving him with nothing, said sources who noted the resignation was likely his best course of action financially.
Byron, 50, and Kristin Cabot, 52, sparked a near-unprecedented viral storm when they were seen desperately dodging the kiss cam while cuddling at the concert near Boston Wednesday night.
During the deer-in-the-headlights moment, Cabot quickly covered her face and Byron swiftly ducked out of view.
Lead singer Chris Martin, thinking he had caught a tender moment, seemed confused before remarking, 'Either they're having an affair or they're very shy.'
By Thursday morning, the pair were identified as the high powered CEO and HR boss of a tech company.
On Friday — the same day new video emerged of Byron and Cabot locking lips and embracing at the concert — their stunning downfall accelerated, as both were both placed on leave while Astronomer said it was investigating the debacle.
Byron began negotiating an exit package after he was placed on leave Thursday, Axios reported.
And an interim CEO, company co-founder Pete DeJoy, a Brooklynite, was named.
Byron, estimated to be worth between $50 and $70 million, was paid between $469,000 and $690,000 a year, but received handsome performance-based bonuses.
Cabot's future with the AI-driven data company remains unclear.
Astronomer will start searching for its next chief executive while DeJoy leads the company.
In a cheeky nod to the scandal, on Friday, DeJoy reportedly 'liked' a LinkedIn post from Zachary Hensley — who was the vice president of technology and operations at Astronomer from 2019 to 2024 — in which Hensley admitted, 'Yes, I've laughed at the memes.'
'Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,' their Saturday statement said.
'While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.'
Astronomer was thriving in the months leading up to the incident, as it reportedly raised nearly $100 million from big investors and was rapidly growing.
Byron's wife, Megan Kerrigan, 50, removed their shared last name from her Facebook profile before deleting it altogether after being inundated with messages about the alleged affair.
Cabot is also believed to be married to Privateer Rum owner Andrew Cabot, 60.
The couple were seen in a recent photo posing with two kids, with Kristin Cabot appearing to wear a wedding ring.
A man who answered the door at the Massachusetts home of Kerrigan's mother angrily declined to comment Saturday, but one neighbor who knew the family praised them.
'The Kerrigans are salt of the earth, hardworking people and they don't deserve to be dragged through the mud,' the neighbor told The Post.
Andy Byron, Megan Kerrigan, Kristin Cabot and Andy Cabot could not be reached for comment.
It's unclear where both marriages stand in the wake of the high-profile scandal – before which, it appeared both families were living the American dream, complete with happy family photos and sprawling mansions.
Less than five months ago, Cabot and her CEO husband bought a ritzy $2.2 million abode in the seaside town of Rye, NH.
Originally published as Astronomer CEO quits after Coldplay concert canoodling - and his replacement had eyebrow-raising reaction to scandal
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News.com.au
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