
Astronomer HR chief resigns after Coldplay 'Kiss Cam' viral video
The New York firm said in a statement that Kristin Cabot resigned as chief people officer and is "no longer with Astronomer," according to CNBC and BBC.
The reports come days after Andy Byron "tendered his resignation" as CEO, the company wrote on an X post July 19 adding that "the Board of Directors has accepted." As of Thursday, July 24, the pair are no longer listed in the company's leadership page.
The viral moment shows a man and a woman embracing each other before quickly letting go and ducking out of view when a "Kiss Cam" put them in the spotlight at a July 16 Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The clip, with 124 million views on TikTok alone, shows the two holding each other before quickly letting go and ducking out of view when they spotted themselves on the Gilette Stadium Jumbotron screen.
Neither Cabot or Byron have issued a public comment regarding their resignations.
USA TODAY has reached out to Astronomer for comment.
New CEO issues positive statement after controversy
Co-founder Pete DeJoy, who assumed the role of interim CEO following Byron's resignation, commented on the controversies in a July 21 LinkedIn post titled "Moving Forward at Astronomer."
He said the company has received more media attention in the wake of the kiss cam incident than most companies ever encounter.
"The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name," DeJoy wrote.
While Astronomer has not specified exactly why Byron or Cabot have resigned, the firm wrote that the company "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."

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