Andy Bryon, the CEO of Astronomer, a data tech company, has resigned after a video from a Coldplay concert went viral showing him in an awkward moment on the venue’s “Kiss Cam.”
The unspecified relationship between Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot was revealed to the nation when they were spotted by “Kiss Cam.” Cabot briskly turned and covered her face, while Byron awkwardly ducked behind a stadium seat, catching Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin’s attention. “Oh, look at these two,” Martin joked to the crowd. “All right, c’mon, you’re Ok. Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
In a statement shared on both LinkedIn and X on Saturday, July 19, the company announced, “Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.”
Astronomer emphasized its company culture in the statement: “As stated previously, 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’s board will now begin the search for a new CEO, while “Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete Dejoy continues to serve as interim CEO,” according to the statement.
“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 company added. “While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.”
The video, which spread widely online, caught the attention of social media users and led to increased scrutiny of Byron’s public behavior.
Coldplay, known for its massive global following and visually spectacular performances, did not directly comment on the viral incident.
According to the New York Post, his colleagues might not be sad to see him go. “In the workplace, Byron allegedly has a reputation as an aggressive, sales-obsessed executive who can be ‘toxic,’” the paper claims, quoting one source as saying “Everybody’s laughing their ass off and enjoying the hell out of what happened and him getting exposed.”
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