Astronomer’s interim CEO, Pete DeJoy, has made his first public remarks since stepping into the role last Saturday amid a viral scandal that brought national attention to the company.
DeJoy took over after former CEO Andy Byron resigned following a widely circulated video showing him in an intimate embrace with the company’s head of human resources at a Coldplay concert. Astronomer announced plans to begin a search for a new permanent CEO.
Byron has resigned after he was captured on video in an intimate embrace with his company’s chief people officer at a Coldplay concert. He was placed on leave on Friday.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” Astronomer said in a statement. “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.”
In a LinkedIn post Monday, DeJoy acknowledged the unexpected spotlight on the tech startup. “The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies — let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world — ever encounter,” he wrote. “The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.”
Byron was seen on a big screen at the Boston concert with Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, sparking speculation and viral attention. Lead singer Chris Martin commented, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Byron, who is married with children, quickly hid from view.
DeJoy, who helped found Astronomer in 2017 and has been serving as chief product officer since earlier this year, pledged his dedication to the company’s future. “I’m stepping into this role with a wholehearted commitment to taking care of our people and delivering for our customers,” he said. “Our story is very much still being written.”
Astronomer focuses on commercializing the open-source data operations platform Astro. DeJoy emphasized the trust placed in the company by its clients, stating customers “trust us with their most ambitious data & AI projects” and that “we’re here because the mission is bigger than any one moment.”
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