"Standard Not Met": Astronomer After CEO Resigns Over Coldplay Concert Video
"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. Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted," Astronomer said.
According to the company, they have appointed co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy as the interim CEO while the board searches for Byron's replacement.
Astronomer also assured that while their awareness may have changed overnight, their product and work for customers have not.
"Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems," it said.
Byron was appointed as the CEO of Astronomer in 2023.
He came under massive criticism and faced allegations of 'cheating' after Coldplay's Kiss cam segment caught him embracing his HR chief Kristin Cabot - whom he had appointed in November 2024. As the camera moved towards them, the two abruptly parted. While Byron ducked immediately, Cabot tried to hide her face - a move that made them look supposedly guilty.
Coldplay's frontman, Chris Martin, reacted to them, saying the couple was "either too shy" or "having an affair".
Later, in another follow-up video, he was heard saying, "Oh s**t, I hope we didn't do something bad".
Social media users also spotted another woman beside them who initial reports claimed was Alyssa Stoddard, Astronomer's senior director of people. However, the company denied it.
"Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video," it said.
The backlash was worse as both Byron and Cabot are married to different partners.
After the video went viral, Byron's wife, Megan Kerrigan, who serves as an Associate Director of Lower School and Hope Graham Program Admissions at the Bancroft School, dropped her surname from her Facebook profile. She later deactivated her profile.
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