What Does Astronomer Do — Firm Where ‘Cheater' Andy Byron Was CEO? Explained With Uber Ride Details

News18

22-07-2025

Last Updated:
Andy Byron, the former CEO of Astronomer, became a viral talking point after being spotted in an intimate moment with Kristin Cabot, the firm's HR chief, during a Coldplay concert.
The name Andy Byron has taken over the internet in recent days, but not for reasons a CEO would hope for. Byron, the former CEO of tech company Astronomer, became a viral talking point after being spotted in an intimate moment with Kristin Cabot, the firm's HR chief, during a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts. The two were caught on the kiss cam and panicked when their faces showed up on the big screen. That clip gained massive attention instantly with online sleuths digging up their identities and alleged affair despite both being married. Following the incident, Byron stepped down from his role.
With the scandal still trending, many have shifted their curiosity to the company at the center of it all: Astronomer. What does this firm actually do? A recent Instagram video breaks it down with a relatable example: booking an Uber. The video mentioned that when someone books a ride, the location is stored in one system, the driver's details in another and payment information in a third. Despite this, the ride gets confirmed in a matter of seconds. That kind of instant data coordination doesn't just happen on its own. Behind it is a tool called Apache Airflow, which helps manage and streamline data across different systems in a set sequence.
But Airflow isn't perfect. The video explains, 'Airflow crashes when servers need updates and requires constant manual fixes." That's where Astronomer steps in. The company has built Astro, a platform that runs on top of Apache Airflow.
'They build Astro on top of Airflow which runs everything in a custom cloud infrastructure with automatic updates, making it 2-3 times faster than those of tech giants," the video shares. It also points out that Astronomer didn't just improve Airflow, they actually control a big part of its development. The company has brought in over 19 of the top code contributors who work directly on Apache Airflow, which gives them an edge in shaping up the software.
According to Astronomer's website, 'Astro is a fully managed platform built on Apache Airflow. Astro simplifies the management of Airflow at scale, offering enterprise-grade observability, governance, and security features. With dynamic scaling and integrated cloud services, Astro enables you to focus on building and running workflows, without worrying about infrastructure."
Following Byron's resignation, the CEO position has been temporarily taken over by Pete DeJoy. Reacting to the controversy, DeJoy said the sudden attention has been strange for the team but added that Astronomer has faced many challenges in the past and has always managed to find a solution.
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