Tech CEO and HR boss suspended after Coldplay embrace goes viral
Kristin Cabot, the head of human resources at the tech company Astronomer, was identified as the woman cuddling with a man identified as Andy Byron, the company's chief executive, when she appeared on the jumbotron at Boston's Gillette Stadium.
Chris Martin, the Coldplay frontman, can be heard saying 'oh, look at these two,' as they appear on the screen, only for Cabot to quickly cover her face and turn away while Byron ducks to avoid the cameras. The British singer reacted saying: 'Either they're having an affair or they're very shy' as the 60,000-strong crowd cheered and laughed.
A TikTok video of the moment went viral, amassing more than 50 million views since it was uploaded late on Wednesday night.
Astronomer, a software start-up, released a statement on Friday. 'Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,' it read.
'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.'
Axios reported that the company's delayed response had been due in part to Byron's slow resignation and exit-package negotiations.
Online, empathy for the pair and their families was mixed with snarky commentary and countless memes, with a fake statement from the chief executive generating a lot of additional vitriol.
Savvy merchandise sellers sought ways to make money from the scandal:one Etsy seller offering a T-shirt that read 'I Took My Sidepiece To The Coldplay Concert And It Ruined My Life'.
In the past 24 hours, more than 22,000 news articles were written about Astronomer and roughly 9,000 were written about Byron, according to Muck Rack data.
More than 15 million people had read about the moment, Memo found, noting average readership on the topic was as high as the P Diddy trial, the feud between Elon Musk and President Trump the death of Pope Francis.
Amid the online firestorm it emerged that Cabot had previously boasted about her ability to 'build trust with CEOs'.
Cabot had praised Byron on LinkedIn when she joined Astronomer in November and boasted she 'leads by example and win(s) trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants'.
Byron called Cabot 'exceptional'. Cabot was previously married to Kenneth Thornby, but they divorced in 2022, according to Massachusetts marriage records.
Megan Kerrigan Byron, Byron's wife, appeared to remove his surname from her name on her Facebook account before deactivating the page.
Byron has been chief executive of Astronomer, a New York City-based data orchestration platform that 'empowers data teams to bring mission-critical analytics, AI and software to life', since 2023.
On Friday, hundreds of users on LinkedIn posted Coldplay lyric puns on his profile in a pile-on the like of which is more common on X or Facebook than the social network for jobseekers and aspiring thought leaders.
'Lights did not guide Andy home,' one comment read.
Grace Springer, the Coldplay fan who filmed the video, told The Sun on Friday that she 'had no idea who the couple was' and felt bad about revealing their alleged cheating.
She said she hopes 'their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them'.
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It seems to be a staple in Melania's closet, too, as she has been seen wearing it multiple times over the past few years She also wore the bag in 2019, when she and her husband joined then-prime minister Theresa May and her husband Philip for a meeting in London At the time, the couple were headed off to Mar-a-Lago, where they stayed when their days in The White House were over. She also wore the bag in 2019, when she and her husband joined then-prime minister Theresa May and her husband Philip for a meeting in London. She paired it with her favorite Celine trench coat, but it was the bag, which has gold detail on it, that really made a statement. Floral Dolce & Gabbana jacket: $51,500 In 2017, Melania pulled out all the stops as she donned a dramatic coat by Dolce & Gabbana that was covered in silk, 3D floral appliques. Oh, and did we mention that it cost $51,500? According to Business Insider, just purchasing the jacket cost a deposit of $25,750. She wore the colorful jacket while visiting Sicily, Italy, during the 2017 G7 Summit, which convenes leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. She wore the colorful jacket while visiting Sicily, Italy, during the 2017 G7 Summit, which convenes leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States Melania sported the fancy coat, which featured bold red, purple, green, white and blue florals when sightseeing around the city with the other spouses of world leaders. The jacket also featured bedazzled, embroidered flowers on it. She paired the coat with a matching clutch bag that had the same exact florals sewn onto it. At the time, the expensive jacket sparked a lot of controversy, as many pointed out that it was worth more than the monthly salary of many Americans. J. 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However, in her 2024 self-titled memoir, Melania, claimed it that the jacket was meant to protest against 'anonymously sourced reporting.' 'I was determined… not to let the media's false narratives affect my mission to help the children and families at the border,' she wrote. 'In fact, I decided to let them know that their criticism would never stop me from doing what I feel is right. To make the point, I wore a particular jacket as I boarded the plane, a jacket that quickly became famous,' she added. Melania recounts how when the plane door closed, her press secretary's inbox was 'flooded with urgent emails from top-tier media outlets regarding the jacket.' 'It's a message for the media,' I said, 'to let them know I was unconcerned with their opinions of me' [but] she told me I couldn't say that. 'Why not? It is the truth.'' Melania wrote about their exchange. 'I disagreed with her insistence that I couldn't say that,' the First Lady wrote. 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She matched the shoes with a pair of army-green pants and light khaki coat by Dolce and Gabbana. In 2017, she wore her white pair of low-top Converse as she visited those who had been impacted by Hurricane Irma. She paired the shoes with a casual, green button-up shirt and white skinny jeans. FLOTUS hat: $20 In 2017, Melania stepped out in perhaps the least expensive item she's ever worn - a black baseball cap that simply read, 'FLOTUS' on it, short for First Lady of the United States, of course. At the time, she was stepping off of Air Force One with her husband, and paired the hat with a pair of aviator sunglasses and crisp white button down. It's unclear exactly where she bought her hat, but there are now tons of websites that sell extremely similar versions, some for even less than $20. You could even customize your own for $12 on Amazon.
