Intriguing identity of brunette woman caught on camera next to cuddling CEO and HR boss at Coldplay concert
Alyssa Stoddard, the Vice President of People at AI firm Astronomer, was seen gritting her teeth and blushing as the crowd erupted with laughter.
The moment went viral as Andrew Byron, the CEO of AI firm Astronomer, fell to his knees as his apparent partner at the show, Stoddard's boss and Astronomer Chief People Officer Kirstin Cabot, tried to hide her face.
Stoddard was promoted to Cabot's number two just days before joining her and Byron at the rock concert, which catapulted the pair into social media infamy.
Neither have commented since, but colleagues at Astronomer are unlikely to be amused by the unseemly gossip that has engulfed the prestigious firm.
Stoddard, who could not be reached for comment, has been professionally linked to Cabot throughout her career, following her to tech firms Neo4j and cybersecurity company Proofpoint.
Before Cabot deleted her LinkedIn account on Thursday, she had praised Stoddard for her promotion days before, saying she was 'incredibly proud' of her VP.
I've had the true privilege of working with Alyssa at four different companies over the years — and every time she has brought an extraordinary mix of empathy, operational excellence and unwavering integrity,' Cabot wrote.
'She's also a thoughtful, values-driven partner who makes every team she touches stronger.'
It comes as newly released footage captured Coldplay frontman Chris Martin 's cringing reaction to the viral moment.
'I don't know what to do,' the singer said through laughter as the crowd erupted. 'Oh s***, I hope we didn't do something bad.'
In the original footage that was seen by millions, Martin poked fun at the pair in front of the crowd at New Jersey's Gillette Stadium.
'Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy,' he said to hysterics from his audience.
After the hilarious kiss-cam video circulated through social media, Daily Mail revealed that Byron exclaimed 'f***ing hell, it's me' as he appeared on the stadium big screen.
Cabot, 56, seemingly uttered a more measured, 'this is awkward', on realizing she and Byron were exposed.
The clip catapulted the pair to social media infamy as Coldplay gained new fans for 'bringing the whole internet together.'
The Coldplay fan who filmed the moment that Byron and Cabot were caught on the kiss-cam, Grace Springer, 28, spoke out on Friday as her footage became a global hit.
Grace, from New Jersey, told the US Sun that she had no idea who the pair were when they sent the stadium into hysteria.
She said the moment became the talk of the show due to their 'interesting reaction', and admitted that 'a part of me feels bad for turning these people's lives upside down.'
But she added in a cheeky swipe: 'Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.'
Springer said there was 'a lot of talk' about the kiss cam at the show, but 'no one knew who they were'.
It has since emerged that the company the pair work for is among the most promising artificial intelligence startups in the US, and provides generative AI software to a number of major companies including Uber, Ford and LinkedIn.
Byron's firm is valued at over $1 billion, with the company experiencing rapid growth since he became CEO in 2023.
That year, Astronomer reported a 292% growth in revenue for its 'Astro' platform.
Just a week before his unfortunate viral fame, Byron appeared on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) TV to celebrate the company after it raised $93 million in its Series D round of financing.
A beaming Byron described the investment as 'a huge opportunity' and 'very exciting' for the firm.
When Cabot joined the firm as HR boss in November 2024, Byron heaped praise on her, saying she would be a 'perfect fit' at his company.
'Kristin's exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory,' he said in a press release at the time.
'She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.'
The Daily Mail has contacted Byron, Cabot and Astronomer for comment.
Byron became CEO in 2023, and just a week before his social media infamy, he appeared on NYSE TV to laud his company's $93 million fundraising in its Series D, which Byron described as 'a huge opportunity' and 'very exciting' for the firm
Before taking over at Astronomer, Byron worked at cybersecurity tech company Cybereason.
A 2018 report on the company included claims from staff that the appointment of Byron as chief revenue officer a year prior had 'quickly caused turmoil'.
Multiple former employees said Byron would lash out against staff who disagreed with him.
'You couldn't challenge him,' one told The Information, a tech industry outlet.
Another employee said where people once 'loved' the company, 'now they hate it'.
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