New Astronomer CEO Addresses ‘Surreal' Reality After Coldplay Kiss Cam Concert Scandal

Forbes

2 days ago

Pete DeJoy, interim CEO of tech startup Astronomer, acknowledged the 'unusual and surreal' media attention the startup has received, in his first comments since taking over for former CEO Andy Byron, who resigned amid a viral scandal in which he was caught on a 'kiss cam' hugging an Astronomer employee, who is not his wife, at a Coldplay concert.
Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was caught on a "kiss cam" at a Coldplay concert with a company ... More employee who is not his wife. (Photo by) Getty Images
DeJoy, who was installed as interim CEO over the weekend, in a LinkedIn post Monday afternoon made his first public comments since the scandal sparked a social media frenzy.
DeJoy said Astronomer had received 'a level of media attention that few companies—let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world—ever encounter' in recent days, though he did not refer to Byron by name, nor did he specifically reference the Coldplay concert incident.
DeJoy said Astronomer is 'now a household name,' but he said he 'would never have wished for it to happen like this,' calling the heightened attention 'unusual and surreal for our team.'
In his post, DeJoy said Astronomer has 'never shied away from challenges' and said he would approach the role with a 'wholehearted commitment to taking care of our people and delivering for our customers,' thanking his team for its 'resilience.'
Before taking the interim CEO position, DeJoy, a co-founder of the company, served as its chief product officer.
Astronomer announced Saturday that Byron would step down from his role as CEO, stating the company's 'leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.'
Byron resigned three days after he was caught on a 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, hugging Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's chief people officer, who is not his wife. Cabot is still listed as chief people officer on the company's leadership page, which now also reflects DeJoy's status as interim CEO. Once the camera cut to Byron and Cabot, Cabot broke free from his arms and covered her face as Byron moved out of frame. 'Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy. I'm not quite sure what to do,' Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin said. The incident—viewed as a scandal that may have revealed an extramarital affair—quickly went viral on social media, sparking plenty of memes and parodies, as well as discussions about privacy. Byron has not yet commented following the incident, despite the spread of a fake statement in which he appeared to apologize and quote Coldplay lyrics. Astronomer confirmed in its statement announcing Byron's resignation he had not made a statement himself. Tangent
In the days since last week's Coldplay concert, several high-profile artists have poked fun at the incident at their own shows. Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher said at a concert in England on Sunday: 'Don't worry, we ain't got any of that Coldplay, snidey fucking camera sh—. It doesn't matter to us who you're f—ing mingling with.' Country star Morgan Wallen joked at an Arizona concert Friday that anyone who is 'here with their side chick or whatever' is 'safe.' During a concert in South Carolina on Thursday, Luke Bryan joked: 'We're gonna shine our cameras on anybody.' Coldplay acknowledged the scandal at a concert in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday. 'We'd like to say hello to some of you in the crowd. How we're gonna do that is we're gonna use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen,' Martin said, to laughs from the crowd.
Astronomer CEO Steps Down After Being Seen Embracing HR Chief On Coldplay Kiss Cam (Forbes)