Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after Coldplay concert saga
"Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted," Astronomer said in a statement.
"Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met."
Astronomer says it will begin searching for its next chief executive as the company's co-founder and chief product officer, Pete DeJoy, serves as interim CEO.
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The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
CEO resigns after viral video from Coldplay concert
The IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn and X by the company Saturday. "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," the company said in its post on LinkedIn. The move comes a day after the company said that Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed in a statement to AP that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Byron and Cabot as captured on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his Jumbotron Song, when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy," he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a US-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed and it's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. Once captured, a moment can be shared widely. "They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted," said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around "leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them", she added. The IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn and X by the company Saturday. "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," the company said in its post on LinkedIn. The move comes a day after the company said that Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed in a statement to AP that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Byron and Cabot as captured on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his Jumbotron Song, when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy," he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a US-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed and it's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. Once captured, a moment can be shared widely. "They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted," said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around "leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them", she added. The IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn and X by the company Saturday. "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," the company said in its post on LinkedIn. The move comes a day after the company said that Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed in a statement to AP that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Byron and Cabot as captured on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his Jumbotron Song, when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy," he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a US-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed and it's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. Once captured, a moment can be shared widely. "They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted," said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around "leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them", she added.
Sky News AU
11 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns days after being caught embracing co-worker at Coldplay concert for world to see
An embattled CEO of a major US tech company has tendered his resignation days after he was exposed cuddling a senior executive on kiss-cam at a Coldplay concert. The CEO of US tech startup Astronomer Andy Byron has resigned after he was caught embracing a senior executive on kiss-cam at a Coldplay concert. CEO of Astronomer Andy Byron and the company's head of human relations, Kristin Cabot, were caught embracing at the band's Massachusetts gig, with the incident going viral online after it was posted to social media by an attendee. Singer Chris Martin joked to the crowd that the couple were "either having an affair or just very shy" as thousands of concert-goers laughed and cheered. The CEO was then placed on leave on Saturday after the incident sparked online furore, as millions urged the company to take immediate action. However, in a major development to the saga, the company announced on Saturday that the chief executive had since tendered his resignation. 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,' the company said in a statement to LinkedIn. 'Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.' 'Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI." The board of directors also launched a formal investigation into the incident, which saw Ms Cabot awkwardly turn away from the camera and hide her face while Mr Byron ducked below the railing attempting to evade the limelight. — Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 18, 2025 'While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not," the company said in an earlier statement. The statement also stressed that Alyssa Stoddard, a third employee who internet sleuths attempted to pin as a stunned woman standing next to the pair was in fact not in attendance at the concert. The embarrassing moment sent the internet into meltdown, with social media users quickly identifying the man as the chief executive of the US-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to pan across the crowd while he sang the 'Jumbotron Song' and performed improvised lyrics about the loved-up couples that appeared on the big screen. Mr Byron's wife deleted her personal Facebook page after users discovered she had removed her married name from her handle which led to an influx of disparaging comments. Both Mr Byron and Ms Cabot are married to other people. The alleged tryst was filmed by Coldplay fan Grace Springer and shared to TikTok where it has been seen close to 70 million times.
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
CEO resigns after viral video from Coldplay concert
The IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn and X by the company Saturday. "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," the company said in its post on LinkedIn. The move comes a day after the company said that Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed in a statement to AP that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Byron and Cabot as captured on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his Jumbotron Song, when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy," he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a US-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed and it's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. Once captured, a moment can be shared widely. "They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted," said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around "leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them", she added.
