Company puts CEO on leave after Coldplay concert video shows couple embracing
A New York tech company has placed its CEO on leave during an in-house investigation amid a viral video on social media that shows a couple caught on the Jumbotron in an embrace at a Coldplay concert.
Astronomer issued two statements on July 18 on the social media platform X saying CEO Andy Byron had been placed on leave and the company was conducting an investigation. The company statements, also posted on its Linkedin page, did not give a specific reason for taking those actions.
"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," one of the statements said.
One company statement referenced the video and stories related to it by pointing out incorrect information. The company said a woman named on social media in connection with the video "was not at the event and no other employees were in the video." The company also made note of a fake statement purporting to be from the CEO - "Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect."
The video shows a man and a woman quickly letting go of each other when a "Kiss Cam" shows them on the giant screen at the concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts. 'Uh oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Coldplay singer Chris Martin joked.
Over 76.5 million people have watched the video of the July 16 incident at Gillette Stadium.
Astronomer said it would share more details in the coming days. Company cofounder Pete DeJoy is serving as interim CEO "given Andy Byron has been placed on leave," according to the company statement.
Large media accounts like Pop Crave and Pop Base spread the incident to millions of followers on X, and social media posts have reported that the Astronomer CEO is the man in the video. USA TODAY has not confirmed the identities of the man and woman in the video and has reached out to the company for comment.
More: TikTok of couple caught on camera at Coldplay concert goes viral. The internet is determined to find 'cheaters.' Why?
Contributing: Alyssa Goldberg
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