Astronomer board launches investigation after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video appears to show CEO embracing HR chief
"The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly," the company said in a statement on X. It added that "no other employees were in the video" and that reports saying Byron has put out a statement are incorrect.
The investigation is the next chapter in a saga that commanded social media's rapt attention.
A clip of Byron and Kristin Cabot, Astronomer's head of people, caught in "kiss cam"-style crowd footage at a Coldplay concert went viral on Thursday. The pair appeared horrified to be broadcast on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium and quickly untwined, prompting Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to speculate that they were "having an affair or they're just very shy."
The internet became fascinated with the narrative. Byron's name was the top trending search term on Google on Thursday, and tens of millions have watched the clip.
Commentators on X and TikTok joked about the awkward scenario. The company turned off comments on its LinkedIn and X accounts as they became flooded with them.
People even placed bets — over $250,000 was traded on Polymarket — on Byron's chances of remaining as CEO.
For more than 24 hours, the company and its leadership — the board, active founders, and Byron — stayed quiet about the scandal and did not respond to requests for comment from the media or release a statement.
Ry Walker, who served as Astronomer CEO from 2015 to 2022, put out a comment: "Yes, I was co-founder and early CEO - not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate," Walker wrote on X.
Founded in 2015, Astronomer builds data management and optimization products used by companies like Activision and Marriott. In May, it completed a Series D funding round that valued the company at $775 million, according to PitchBook.
Byron came on as CEO in July 2023 after holding C-suite roles at several other software and tech firms. In November 2024, he hired Cabot as the company's head of people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
Fans show love for Tyler, The Creator's new dance album, 'Don't Tap the Glass'
This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing, driving, running, any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume," the artist wrote on Instagram. Less than a year after releasing his chart-topping, "Chromakopia," Tyler, The Creator released his ninth studio album on Monday and he's encouraging folks to let loose while listening. "Don't Tap the Glass" released early July 21 and features 10 songs produced and performed by Tyler, The Creator. The album's cover art features the artist with an unproportionally-sized head and limbs sporting red pants, a large gold chain, glasses and a red hat that reads, "GLASS." "I asked some friends why they don't dance in public and some said because of the fear of being film," the rapper and producer shared in an Instagram post on Monday. "I thought, 'Damn, a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost.' It made me wonder how much of our human spirit got killed because of the fear of being a meme. All for having a good time." Taking a one-night break from "Chromakopia: The World Tour," which continues through September, Tyler, The Creator held a listening party for the new album in Los Angeles on Sunday evening. In his Instagram post, the artist said during an evening with no phones, no camera, "just speakers and sweatbox," friends and fans were simply able to enjoy themselves. "This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing, driving, running, any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume," he concluded in the post. 'Don't Tap the Glass' track list Here's a look at the track list for "Don't Tap the Glass': More news: Coldplay gives fans warning in first concert since viral 'Kiss Cam' video Watch 'Stop Playing with Me' music video In conjunction with the album's release, Tyler, The Creator released a music video for the track, "Stop Playing with Me," which features Pusha T, Malice and LeBron James. Only three hours after its release, the video had more than 574,000 views on YouTube. What are fans saying? Largely, fans have been sharing their love for "Don't Tap the Glass." "I've never smiled more than I have today," the top comment on the artist's Instagram post teasing the music video read, as of July 21. TikTok user Tyson Jones pointed out that "Don't Tap the Glass" has a much different sound than the artist's previous album, "Chromakopia." The albums also vary in length, as "Don't Tap the Glass" runs front to back in less than 30 minutes and "Chromakopia" runs more than 50 minutes. Jones said the new album may be different than what Tyler, The Creator fans are used to, or were hoping of the artist's new album, but the dance-centric album is a fun listen. "You can just tell, Tyler, The Creator was having a lot of fun making this and just wanted to drop it for his fans," Jones said in a video. Brielle Ki, an editorial intern for advertising agency Hypebeast, described the new album as a raw, creative implusive from Tyler, The Creator, following a more structured "Chromakopia." "Across all ten songs, "Don't Tap the Glass" resists definition. It doesn't aim to be cohesive or complete," Ki wrote in a Hypebeast blog post. "This album strays from genre while still feeling entirely like him – less a statement, more a glimpse into the raw mechanics of his creative process. Instead of searching for meaning, it feels like he's letting the music speak for what he doesn't want to explain." Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Fast Company
12 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Astronomer CEO resigns after viral Coldplay concert video
The IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc., according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company Saturday. '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 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 U.S.-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 conducts a search for Byron's successor. Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed It's easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Look for them on the walls when you arrive and around the bar areas or toilets. It's 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.' Once captured, a moment can be shared widely '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. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around 'leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them,' she added. Still, Taylor and others stress how quickly such a video can lead to an internet search to find the people involved — and note that it's 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. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.'
CNBC
14 minutes ago
- CNBC
Astronomer's interim CEO says 'spotlight has been unusual and surreal' days after taking top job
Astronomer's interim CEO said in his first public comment since unexpectedly taking over the role on Saturday that he hopes to move the tech startup past the viral moment that captured national attention last week. Pete DeJoy was appointed to the top job due to the resignation of CEO Andy Byron, days after he was caught on video in an intimate moment with the company's head of human resources at a Coldplay concert. Astronomer said over the weekend that it would begin a search for a new CEO. "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," DeJoy wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday. "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 shown on a big screen at the concert in Boston on Wednesday with his arms around Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. Byron, who is married with children, immediately hid when the couple was shown on screen. Lead singer Chris Martin said, "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." A concert attendee's video of the affair went viral. DeJoy helped start Astronomer in 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile, and had been serving as chief product officer since earlier this year. In May, Astronomer announced a $93 million investment round led by Bain Ventures and other investors, including Salesforce Ventures. "I'm stepping into this role with a wholehearted commitment to taking care of our people and delivering for our customers," DeJoy wrote. He added that "our story is very much still being written." Astronomer is commercializing the open-source data operations platform Astro. DeJoy wrote that customers "trust us with their most ambitious data & AI projects" and that "we're here because the mission is bigger than any one moment."
