Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after controversy over Coldplay concert video
Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company on Saturday (Jul 19).
'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 had 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 searches for Byron's successor.
CONCERT VENUES
It's easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event.
It is common practice, especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films.
The venue in this case, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, also has a privacy policy online which states: 'When you visit our location or attend or participate in an event at our location, we may capture your image, voice and/or likeness, including through the use of CCTV cameras and/or when we film or photograph you in a public location.'
'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.
Still, Taylor and others stressed how quickly such a video leads to an internet search to find the people involved and noted that it was important to remember that such 'doxing' isn't just reserved for famous people. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances, such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence, have made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in a viral video today.
'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us – and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' said Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
George Lucas makes Comic-Con debut for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Excited fans waved glowing Star Wars lightsabers on Sunday (Jul 27) at the San Diego Comic-Con panel for George Lucas' latest project, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Along with Lucas, the panel included director Guillermo del Toro and Doug Chiang, vice president of Disney's Lucasfilm, with Queen Latifah moderating at the San Diego Convention Center. Attendees shouted "Lucas! Lucas! Lucas!" and clapped their hands in anticipation of the Star Wars creator's arrival, and gave the 81-year-old Lucas a standing ovation as he took his seat. "Opening in 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is a first-of-its-kind institution dedicated to illustrated storytelling across time, cultures, and media," a press release from the museum said. The 11-acre campus, in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, will include a green space and a 300,000-square-foot building with galleries, two theatres, a library, restaurant, cafe, and retail and community spaces. Some of its collection will include art from comic book artist Jack Kirby, painter Norman Rockwell and illustrator Kadir Nelson, as well as a Lucas archive with models, props, concept art and costumes. "I love all art, no matter what it is," Lucas said after showing a video that gave a sneak peek at the museum. The video included renderings of the museum interior and exterior, as well as the museum's broad range of art ranging from more traditional fine art and comic book strips to Star Wars sculptures and installations. Lucas began the panel recalling his days as a college student struggling to pursue his dream of becoming an art collector due to the steep cost of fine art. But the filmmaker found an affordable exception with comic books, sold cheaply in "underground" markets. Now, rather than selling art he collected over around 50 years, Lucas said he prefers to create what he calls a "temple to the people's art". Lucas kept the conversation focused on the museum and did not discuss Star Wars or Indiana Jones. For del Toro, the museum offers a visual past that belongs to everyone and can't be erased, noting that he may move some of his personal art collection to the Lucas Museum.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Fantastic Four: First Steps scores Marvel's first US$100 million North American box office opening of 2025
Marvel's first family has finally found box office gold. The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the first film about the superheroes made under the guidance of Kevin Feige and the Walt Disney Co, earned US$118 million (S$151 million) in its first weekend in 4,125 North American theatres, according to studio estimates Sunday (Jul 27). That makes it the fourth biggest opening of the year, behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch and Superman, and the biggest Marvel opening since Deadpool & Wolverine grossed US$211 million out of the gate last summer. Internationally, Fantastic Four made US$100 million from 52 territories, adding up to a US$218 million worldwide debut. The numbers were within the range the studio was expecting. The film arrived in the wake of another big superhero reboot, James Gunn's Superman, which opened three weekends ago and has already crossed US$500 million globally. That film, from the other main player in comic book films, DC Studios, took second place with US$24.9 million in North America. First Steps is the latest attempt at bringing the superhuman family to the big screen, following lackluster performances for other versions. The film, based on the original Marvel comics, is set during the 1960s in a retro-futuristic world led by the Fantastic Four, a family of astronauts-turned-superhuman from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission. The family is made up of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), who can stretch his body to incredible lengths; Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), who can render herself invisible; Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), who transforms into a fiery human torch; and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who possesses tremendous superhuman strength with his stone-like flesh. The movie takes place four years after the family gained powers, during which Reed's inventions have transformed technology, and Sue's diplomacy has led to global peace. Both audiences and critics responded positively to the film, which currently has an 88 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and promising exit poll responses from opening weekend ticket buyers. An estimated 46 per cent of audiences chose to see it on premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats. The once towering Marvel is working to rebuild audience enthusiasm for its films and characters. Its two previous offerings this year did not reach the cosmic box office heights of Deadpool & Wolverine, which made over US$1.3 billion, or those of the Avengers-era. But critically, the films have been on an upswing since the poorly reviewed Captain America: Brave New World, which ultimately grossed US$415 million worldwide. Thunderbolts, which jumpstarted the summer movie season, was better received critically but financially is capping out at just over US$382 million globally. Like Deadpool and Wolverine, the Fantastic Four characters had been under the banner of 20th Century Fox for years. The studio produced two critically loathed, but decently profitable attempts in the mid-2000s with future Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch. In 2015, it tried again (unsuccessfully) with Michael B Jordan and Miles Teller. They got another chance after Disney's US$71 billion acquisition of Fox's entertainment assets in 2019.
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
US commerce secretary says Trump really likes TikTok, but app has to move to US ownership
WASHINGTON :U.S. President Donald Trump likes TikTok but the Chinese-owned short video app, used by some 170 million Americans, has to move to U.S. ownership, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said on Sunday. "The President really likes TikTok, and he said it over and over again, because, you know, it was a good way to communicate with young people," Lutnick said in an interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream. "But let's face it, you can't have the Chinese have an app on 100 million American phones, that is just not okay. So, it's got to move to American ownership, it's got to move to American technology, American algorithms," he said. "I know the President is positive towards TikTok, if it can move into American hands."
