Astronomer board launches investigation after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video appears to show CEO embracing HR chief
"The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly," the company said in a statement on X. It added that "no other employees were in the video" and that reports saying Byron has put out a statement are incorrect.
The investigation is the next chapter in a saga that commanded social media's rapt attention.
A clip of Byron and Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's head of people, caught in "kiss cam"-style crowd footage at a Coldplay concert went viral on Thursday. The pair appeared horrified to be broadcast on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium and quickly untwined, prompting Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to speculate that they were "having an affair or they're just very shy."
The internet became fascinated with the narrative. Byron's name was the top trending search term on Google on Thursday, and tens of millions have watched the clip.
Commentators on X and TikTok joked about the awkward scenario. The company turned off comments on its LinkedIn and X accounts as they became flooded with them.
People even placed bets — over $250,000 was traded on Polymarket — on Byron's chances of remaining as CEO.
For more than 24 hours, the company and its leadership — the board, active founders, and Byron — stayed quiet about the scandal and did not respond to requests for comment from the media or release a statement.
Ry Walker, who served as Astronomer CEO from 2015 to 2022, put out a comment: "Yes, I was co-founder and early CEO - not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate," Walker wrote on X.
Founded in 2015, Astronomer builds data management and optimization products used by companies like Activision and Marriott. In May, it completed a Series D funding round that valued the company at $775 million, according to PitchBook.
Byron came on as CEO in July 2023 after holding C-suite roles at several other software and tech firms. In November 2024, he hired Cabot as the company's head of people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
44 minutes ago
- New York Times
Gwyneth Paltrow Is Serious. Seriously.
It's never been entirely clear if Gwyneth Paltrow is in on the joke, especially if it's on her. She seems too aloof, too controlling of everything. If an essential element of humor is the ability to see the absurdity of life, how do you account for her straight-faced shilling of $27 'psychic vampire repellent' and $120 'bio-frequency healing' sticker packs? But then came that Astronomer crisis commercial. Millions saw Andy Byron, who was at the time the chief executive of Astronomer, in an illicit kiss-cam embrace with his human resources executive, Kristin Cabot, at that Boston-area Coldplay concert last month. Publicly shamed, they both lost their jobs. But then, with the help of Ryan Reynolds's production company, Astronomer released a video featuring Ms. Paltrow, the Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin's ex-wife, to turn the crisis into a marketing opportunity for the heretofore obscure data management company. Ms. Paltrow, sitting in a spare room, wearing a simple pale blue office shirt, her hair casual and her makeup minimal, delivers the lines — 'Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, M.L. and A.I. pipelines at scale. We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation' — with apparent sincerity, and a bit of a smirk. It went viral. With Astronomer, Ms. Paltrow did what she always does: transform an apparent P.R. disaster into a marketing moment. Ms. Paltrow has long been a polarizing figure, but she has been authentic — unapologetically rich and unwavering in her beliefs about everything from jade 'yoni' eggs to the superiority of raw dairy products (both of which medical experts advise against). Her unwillingness to let criticism break her has only seemed to fortify and expand her fan base, allowing her to sail through one backlash cycle after the other and still have brands like Astronomer lining up to work with her. Ms. Paltrow launched her lifestyle brand, Goop, in 2008 as the Great Recession unfolded. Facebook was four years old, Twitter was two and Instagram was two years away. While her actor peers were busy pooh-poohing social media, she leaned into influencing before anyone was calling it that. She wanted to capture email addresses for a newsletter of her recommendations, so she put up a website with the tagline 'Nourish the inner aspect.' 'My life is good because I am not passive about it,' Ms. Paltrow wrote. The press mocked the nascent enterprise, but the attention only led to a flood of subscribers and mass awareness of Goop. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
TTEC Provides Update on Potential Take Private Transaction
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTEC), a leading global CX (customer experience) technology and services innovator for AI-enabled CX solutions, announced today that July 31, 2025, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of TTEC Holdings, Inc. ("TTEC" or the "Company") received a letter from TTEC founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth Tuchman advising the Board that due to market conditions Mr. Tuchman has determined not to pursue his previously announced unsolicited, preliminary non-binding proposal of September 27, 2024 to acquire the outstanding shares of the Company that he and his controlled affiliates do not already own. The Board of Directors has full confidence that TTEC, led by Mr. Tuchman and TTEC's executive leadership team, will continue to thrive, as a public company, in its mission to support clients in the increasingly complex CX ecosystem. As previously reported, TTEC will release its earnings results for Q2 2025 after the market closes on Thursday, August 7, 2025. The company will then host a live webcast and conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, August 8, 2025. ABOUT TTECTTEC (pronounced T-TEC) Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTEC) is a leading global CX (customer experience) technology and services innovator for AI-enabled digital CX solutions. Serving iconic and disruptive brands, TTEC's outcome-based solutions span the entire enterprise, touch every virtual interaction channel, and improve each step of the customer journey. Leveraging next-gen digital technology, the Company's TTEC Digital business designs, builds, and operates omnichannel contact center technology, CRM, AI and analytics solutions. The Company's TTEC Engage business delivers AI-enabled customer engagement, customer acquisition and growth, tech support, back office, and fraud prevention services. Founded in 1982, the Company's singular obsession with CX excellence has earned it leading client, customer, and employee satisfaction scores across the globe. The Company's employees operate on six continents and bring technology and humanity together to deliver happy customers and differentiated business results. To learn more, visit us at Corporate Comms Investor Relations Meredith Matthews Robert Belknapp View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE TTEC Holdings, Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boron One Holdings Inc. Grants Stock Options
VICTORIA, BC / / August 1, 2025 / Boron One Holdings Inc. ("Boron One" or the "Company") [TSXV:BONE], a company dedicated to the decarbonization of Planet Earth through the responsible utilization of its boron assets, announces the issuance of 7,450,000 stock options (the "Issuance") to directors, officers, employees, and consultants of the Company, under Boron One's incentive stock option plan ("the Plan"). Each option grants the holder the right to acquire one common share of Boron One at an exercise price of $0.06 for up to five years, subject to requisite regulatory approvals and the terms outlined in the Plan. Of the newly granted options, 725,000 replace previously held options that expired unexercised, and have been reissued to the same recipients. Including the Issuance, Boron One has a total of 9,550,000 stock options outstanding, representing approximately 4.1% of its issued and outstanding common shares. Under the Company's shareholder-approved Rolling Stock Option Plan, Boron One may issue options totaling up to 10% of its issued and outstanding shares, in alignment with applicable Exchange Policy. Prior to this Issuance, the Company's most recent stock option grant occurred in January of 2021. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Tim Daniels, President About Boron One Holdings Inc. Boron One Holdings Inc. is a leading company dedicated to advancing the decarbonization of our planet through the responsible utilization of its wholly owned boron assets in Serbia. With a commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability, Boron One aims to play a crucial role in reducing the world's carbon footprint and supporting a cleaner, greener future for us all. Headquartered in Victoria, B.C., Canada, Boron One's shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BONE". For detailed information please see Boron One's website at or the Company's filed documents at For further information, please contact: Boron's Public Quotations: Blake Fallis, General Manager Phone: 1-250- 384-1999 or 1-888-289-3746 info@ TSX Venture: BONE Berlin: EKV US: SEC 12G3-2(B) #82-4432ERVFF OTC: ERVFF Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Boron One Holdings Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
