Astronomer CEO resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' incident
The video, which quickly went viral earlier this week, captured Byron and Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's Chief People Officer, embracing on the 'kiss cam' at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The pair ducked out of view after appearing on the screen, fueling speculation across social media platforms.
Astronomer's board of directors has accepted Byron's resignation and announced that a search is underway for a permanent replacement.
In the interim, Pete DeJoy, the company's co-founder and Chief Product Officer, will assume the role of CEO.
In a LinkedIn post earlier this week, Astronomer addressed the incident directly, denying that Byron had issued any public statement and dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
The company also clarified the misidentification of a third individual seen in the video, who had been mistakenly linked to the situation online.
'As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,' the company said in a follow-up statement on Saturday.
'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.'
Byron's LinkedIn profile has since been deactivated, and his name has been removed from Astronomer's official leadership page, where DeJoy is now listed as CEO.
However, Byron is still listed as a board member on the company's website as of Saturday.
Founded in 2018, Astronomer specialises in data operations and solutions for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
While the company acknowledged that its visibility has 'changed overnight' due to the incident, it reiterated its focus remains on solving complex data challenges.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Why punish the children of 2025 for the apartheid sins of their parents?
Bidvest's recent handling of its bursary scheme deeply unsettles me. The company has a bursary programme for students from grades 4 to 12. The bursary covers school fees, stationery, school uniforms and assistance with extra classes. Full-time employees earning less than R15,300 per month before deductions may apply. However, the programme is only for black, coloured or Indian employees. White employees' children are explicitly excluded. It reminds me of the day I was chased out of the post office because the child in me was too naïve to see the 'whites only' notice. The door for coloured people was at the back. It also reminded me of the time when I had to wait for the train as a student at the University of the Western Cape, but couldn't sit on the bench that had the words 'for whites only' written on it. I vowed to myself that I would do everything in my power to prevent any child from being hurt like that again. If it hadn't been for a good Samaritan who took care of me when I was a poor student so that I could receive a bursary, I would not be in the position to write this article today. In its defence, Bidvest states that the trust was established in 2003 as part of a corporate social investment structure that formed part of a consortium for black economic empowerment. They further argue that in accordance with the principles and philosophy of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003, the trust was established with the sole purpose of uplifting historically disadvantaged individuals who are employees of the Bidvest Group. It has been in operation for 22 years and has been very successful in changing the lives of their employees and their families, states a release from the company's communications firm. With regards to the success of the programme, I will not argue, and I want to give Bidvest credit for the fact that 22 years ago it was indeed important to uplift historically disadvantaged black people. However, this is not what is being discussed here. On its website, the company states that they want to make a meaningful 'impact on society' in a way that is 'innovative' and that the company is 'influenced by the context within which it operates'. They want to do this in a 'unique and resilient' way within an adaptable structure. The board members of Bidvest will agree with me that the circumstances today look significantly different than 22 years ago. After 30 years of a democratic order, the playing field is completely different. Today you find poor children across a wide spectrum of South African society. It is no longer restricted to just black children. As vice-dean at the University of Stellenbosch's Faculty of Education, it was my task to administer bursaries. I am also involved in the Foundation for Empowerment through Afrikaans (Stigting vir Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans, SBA) Honours programme and Rapport's education bursary fund. Over the past 20 years I have seen how our financial landscape has changed. Poverty knows – unlike 22 years ago – no colour. Students who are dependent on bursaries have increased among all families. Therefore, no student should be disadvantaged. The only criterion should be whether the child qualifies for the bursary and whether or not their parents can afford their studies. Also, the context in which the company currently operates differs from when the bursary scheme was established. Today, all employees can progress to the boardroom. I would really like to know how Bidvest looks its staff in the eye knowing that the company has failed to help all the needy children. What impact does this have on healthy relationships in the boardroom when employees who earn the same do not receive equal treatment? I acknowledge the terms of the trust that was established 22 years ago, but surely a company that prides itself on being adaptable and innovative could have made a plan to start a new bursary scheme from which all its employees can benefit? Nelson Mandela once said: 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.' These words of Madiba emphasise the transformative potential of education and highlight the critical role that education plays in promoting social, economic and political change. It is time for all of us – including Bidvest – to act on Madiba's words. Therefore, I could not remain silent when Bidvest ran a bursary programme 'only for black, coloured and Indian' children. It brings back all the pain and sorrow of the past. Children of 2025 had no part in South Africa's apartheid past. Why punish them for the sins of their forefathers? All children have dreams. All children are born in innocence. It is adults who raise children to be racists. After 30 years of democracy, it's time for us to banish words like whites, blacks, coloureds and Indians from our vocabulary. They do not belong in a democratic dispensation. According to their website, Bidvest deems all forms of discrimination based on race as illegal and they will not tolerate it. Furthermore, the company says: 'We do the right thing, even when no one else is looking.'
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Samsung SA digs in heels over foldables for premium market despite global slowdown
Samsung Mobile SA updated its pricing and model availability for its new folding phones as it moves to extract value from the premium market. Samsung declined to respond to questions about the recent price increases on the Galaxy Fold 7 and Flip 7 or the disappearance of the 256GB Fold 7 variant from its South African online store. That silence is telling, especially in a market where smartphone sales are slowing and consumers are squeezed. 'Fold users typically remain the most loyal… they upgrade more, and they upgrade faster,' Samsung Mobile SA's VP for Mobile Justin Hume told Daily Maverick at the local launch. 'The base is growing every year.' Samsung is banking, once again, on deep-pocketed loyalists, an expanding ecosystem and some health tech to keep its margins intact. Foldable flatline Globally, foldable smartphones are hitting turbulence. In the first quarter of this year, foldables made up just 1.5% of total smartphone sales in Europe, with year-on-year growth of only 4%, according to Counterpoint Research. That's a sharp slowdown from previous years, and some analysts are calling it a warning sign. 'Most consumers are still not sure what a foldable phone is for,' said Counterpoint's Jan Stryjak. 'And many still have concerns about durability and longevity.' Despite this, Samsung continues to dominate the category, but that lead is shrinking. In 2024, global foldable shipments rose 12% to 17.2 million units, yet Samsung's market share fell from 54% to 45%. And 2025 isn't looking much better, with 'no further growth' forecast. Hume acknowledges these headwinds, but argues that in South Africa's premium segment, what he calls the 'R1,000 market and above' (in terms of monthly contract spend), consumer spending is still resilient. 'That market is either corporate-driven, business owners and the like, and there's this imperviousness to some of the economic conditions.' Samsung's best-selling device in the country? The S25 Ultra, outperforming even the entry-level Galaxy S25. Flipping the market For those not willing to drop over R40,000 on a Galaxy Fold 7, Samsung has released the Flip 7 FE, a more affordable version of its clamshell foldable, aimed at making foldables more accessible. At least in theory. Priced at R22,800 (another mysterious price increase for the 256GB version, but the 128GB is curiously absent), it uses in-house silicon and borrows design cues from the Flip 6 to deliver a slimmed-down, but still premium experience. 'We can now land this product at R799 [on contract] for that customer,' Hume said, referring to users on older Flip 4 contracts. 'Yes, it's not as highly specced. But compared to somebody who's only seen the Flip 3 or 4, it's night and day.' The Flip 7 FE is a potential upgrade path for users in that pricing bracket, but its pricing still places it in the high-end category and that the narrow gap between the FE and full-spec Flip 7 may limit its appeal as a more affordable alternative. A data privacy play Samsung isn't just betting on specs. A key part of the Fold 7's value proposition is its integration of KEEP (Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection), which enables on-device encrypted storage that doesn't send sensitive user data to the cloud. 'Your smart toilet could become the point of vulnerability,' Hume quipped, highlighting Samsung's concern with AI-driven data access. 'We manage all that environment from your handset.' This is part of a broader push to challenge Apple's dominance in the privacy conversation. But convincing users that Samsung's approach is trustworthy, especially when it's 'free', is a work in progress. That free references Samsung South Africa's partnership with Aura to launch Samsung SOS+, a free 12-month emergency response service for owners of the Galaxy A56, A36, and A26 smartphones. Hume recounts a general reluctance in the target market to make use of the service. 'The market that hasn't been exposed to that is still trying to work out what exactly that means for them,' said Hume. 'It's good, but it's too good to be true.' It's all still a proof of concept, but Samsung is in a unique position to leverage its Knox platform to provide secure device tracking once users hit the panic button. Taking the fight to the wrist While Samsung leads the pack in wearables bundled with phone purchases with an estimated 80% share of network-based smartwatch sales in South Africa, the brand still struggles in standalone retail sales. 'In pure retail, we know it's an issue,' Hume admitted. 'Our competitors definitely do an incredible job.' Globally, the wearables market isn't growing as fast as it used to. In 2024, it grew just 5.4%, with projections dropping to 4.1% in 2025. Smartwatch sales declined by 4.5% in 2024 and are expected to recover only modestly this year. The big winners? Hearables, which grew by nearly 9% and remain the largest wearables category worldwide. Even so, Samsung is leaning into health as its killer wearable feature. The Galaxy Watch 8 features new sensors to measure vascular load and antioxidant levels. The Watch 8 Classic model also marks the return of the rotating bezel, and Samsung hopes to win over users by giving them full control over their health data. 'The empowerment sits with you,' Hume said. 'You control access. Not the third party.' But with all the sudden price increases and general market decline, the local market will show whether the now flat folding smartphones hit the right note. DM
The Citizen
5 hours ago
- The Citizen
Crime in Johannesburg: The reality of doing business in the CBD
A walkabout of the city showed the varying degrees of degradation and danger faced by business owners in the Johannesburg CBD. At the foot of each of Johannesburg's claustrophobic concrete towers are the men and women who keep the city ticking over. For those outside the city, the smothering buildings cast intimidating shadows, but at street level, attitudes grow harder daily. Desensitised to the lingering threat of crime, business is conducted on streets not so much crumbling, but simply stripped of their value by those acting with relative impunity. Members of the Democratic Alliance took a tour of the Johannesburg CBD on Tuesday to gauge the impact crime was having on business owners and residents. Police visibility needed Shop owners all have similar stories to tell, centring around a desire for the municipality to do more to make the streets presentable and safe. The owner of a store on the corner of Eloff and Market Streets selling high-end camera equipment behind thick iron bars said the mere perception of the city's crime was enough to keep people away. Delisile Muwonge of SA Camera Land said that when those inquiring3333333 about her competitively priced products over the phone realised her premises were in the heart of the CBD, the phone line would more often than not go dead. She claimed her store had been robbed four times in recent years and even witnessed the police unable to apprehend suspects who fled within a few meters of officers. 'We need more police in the streets because we never see them unless they are coming to check if I am selling stolen goods,' Muwonge told The Citizen. Crime improving for some Not all traders are downbeat about business and safety in the CBD, those like Sakile Ziqubu, manager of clothing store Side Step. He works in the Small Street Mall, which runs between Commissioner and Rahima Moosa Streets, and relays security in the tight and busy walkways is improving. 'We used to have robberies, muggings and people getting jumped at the ATM, but now there are guards at each entrance and the wardens patrol all the time,' said Ziqubu. He added that the municipality was engaging with business owners to address security concerns, but that private security was more visible than police or their metropolitan colleagues. Bree Street repairs Lillian Ngoyi Street remains a corrugated iron scar through the heart of the city, and an affected businessman vented his frustration at the length of the repairs and the hollow periodic photo opportunities. 'They are two years too late. What have they been doing to put pressure on them to fix this? We see them here taking photos and talking, but nothing happens,' said the man. The repairs have created two dark corridors on either side of what was Bree Street, which the man says are frequented by pickpockets and shoplifters — many being foreign nationals. 'I am South African, but I am the one who feels like a foreigner. This is killing us and the municipality does not care about any of us,' he vented, stressing he could not be named for fear of being targeted. Lillian Ngoyi Street near Eloff Street, 22 July 2025. Picture: Jarryd Westerdale. Block by block differences A walk from the Carlton Centre to Johannesburg Central Police Station illustrates the city's mixed fortunes, from vagrancy to manicured squares in between the offices of corporate giants. However, infrastructure theft has left street corners invariably without either manhole covers, brickwork, functioning street lights or working traffic signals. Cleanliness varies from block to block, mirrored by the hijacked and abandoned buildings that dot the skyline. DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga said that clearing these buildings should be a priority as they were hives of criminality. 'We have found wanted suspects and stolen property in these buildings and syndicates use these buildings as a way to recruit men and women with little to no opportunities,' Msimanga told The Citizen. A derelict building on Von Brandis Street, 22 June. Picture: Jarryd Westerdale. Entities working in 'silos' Holding municipal entities to account was what the opposition was hoping to do, with DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda-Echeozonjoku highlighting how the problem with entities working in 'silos'. 'You can't fix the city by dealing with one particular entity. The entities are using EPWP workers to pick up the litter, but why are they not also working with businesses, with residents to have coordinated clean-ups as well?' said Kayser-Echeozonjoku. 'You will see that the areas where it is clean are where businesses have taken control. The city should really assist in having some understanding or collaboration with the private sector to keep the city,' she added. Kayser-Echeozonjoku said they would take the day's findings and seek answers from responsible parties in the Gauteng legislature and municipal section 79 committees. The tour ended with the DA delegation inspecting Johannesburg Central police station and questioning management. 'The building needs to serve the community. It should be creating a space where the people of Johannesburg and victims of crime feel safe to report crime. 'If residents and business owners don't trust the people who are meant to protect them, that only breeds further criminality and suffering,' said Msimanga. NOW READ: These are the suburbs most people are moving to in Johannesburg
