Astronomer CEO resigns after controversy over video captured at Coldplay concert
Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Astronomer Inc., according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company on Saturday, July 19.
"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 incident, which went viral.
A short video clip from Coldplay's concert on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, showed a man and a woman cuddling and smiling, his arms wrapped around her, as she leaned back into him. When they saw themselves on the big screen, her jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera. He ducked out of the frame, as did she.
Lead singer Chris Martin had 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 about the embarassed couple.
In the ensuing social media hysteria over the gaffe, internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a US-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.
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Tech CEO resigns after Coldplay concert 'kiss cam' video kicks off viral frenzy
The CEO of the technology firm Astronomer has resigned after being caught canoodling on camera at a rock concert with a woman who was not his wife, the company said on Saturday. The company posted a written statement on social media stating that its leaders "are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met". The statement said that Andy Byron had offered his resignation as CEO and that the board of directors had accepted it. Byron had been placed on leave on Friday, and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is serving as the interim CEO. Byron and Astronomer's chief people officer Kristin Cabot were caught on camera at the Coldplay concert on Wednesday in Massachusetts in an awkward clip that quickly went viral. A spokesman for the company said that the pair were the only employees of the firm caught on camera. The spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on Cabot's job status. Once Byron and Cabot realized they were being shown on a jumbo screen inside Gillette Stadium as they embraced, Byron ducked out of sight and Cabot covered her face with her hands and spun around. Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin responded by saying "either they're having an affair or they're just very shy". Internet sleuths immediately went to work and identified Byron and Cabot by their social media profiles before the company confirmed their identities.
LeMonde
11 hours ago
- LeMonde
Astronomer CEO resigns after controversy over video captured at Coldplay concert
A tech company CEO has resigned after controversy over a video captured on the big screen at a Coldplay concert last week. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Astronomer Inc., according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company on Saturday, July 19. "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 incident, which went viral. A short video clip from Coldplay's concert on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, showed a man and a woman cuddling and smiling, his arms wrapped around her, as she leaned back into him. When they saw themselves on the big screen, her jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera. He ducked out of the frame, as did she. Lead singer Chris Martin had 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 about the embarassed couple. In the ensuing social media hysteria over the gaffe, internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a US-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.
France 24
13 hours ago
- France 24
US tech CEO in viral Coldplay concert video resigns
"Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met," New York-based Astronomer said in a statement shared on LinkedIn. "Andy Byron has tendered his resignation," the firm said, after previously launching an investigation. During a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Wednesday, the jumbotron zoomed in on a man and a woman embracing in the stands. But the canoodling pair appeared shocked and horrified when they spotted themselves on the big screen, with the man ducking out of frame and the woman hiding her face. "Uh-oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy," joked Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Within hours, internet sleuths tracked down the man as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and said the woman was the company's chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, alleging that the two were having a not-so-discreet affair. The video has garnered millions of views on TikTok and other social media, giving rise to memes discussing everything from the folly of having an affair at a Coldplay concert, to the hypocrisy of an HR representative seemingly caught in a workplace relationship. "The craziest thing is about the Astronomer CEO cheating scandal is it was the HR lady," said one X user. "The person who would warn you against fraternizing with coworkers." Furry mascots of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team jumped on the trend and recreated the scene for the jumbotron at a game after the video went viral. However an apology statement attributed to Byron which spread rapidly online was fake and appeared to have originated from a parody account.
