Coldplay kiss-cam couple twist: ‘Laughed at the memes'
Mr Byron and Kristen Cabot, both executives ta Astronomer, went global after they were caught embarking on a kiss-cam at a Coldplay concert last week. The pair then fled the camera's gaze. Mr Byron is married.
Astronomer has now announced an investigation into the incident with Mr De Joy stepping into to head the data firm.
Mr DeJoy 'liked' a LinkedIn post from Zachary Hensley — who was the vice president of technology and operations at Astronomer from 2019 to 2024 — in which he admitted, 'Yes, I've laughed at the memes', reports Page Six.
The former staffer shared, however, that he had mixed feelings about the entire ordeal, adding, 'But I also know Astronomer is more than one moment or one person. It's a team of smart, kind, driven people doing incredible work. And I'll always be rooting for them.'
Mr Hensley noted in his post that despite seeing all of the memes and having shared 'more than a few,' he 'felt a strange mix of pride, nostalgia, and whiplash' before gushing about his time at the tech company.
He concluded his lengthy post by writing, 'To the Astronomer crew — past and present — I love y'all. Keep going. Keep building. You've got this'.
Mr DeJoy's reaction to the post appears to signify that much of what Mr Hensley said resonated with him.
The former colleagues seem to share a close bond. Mr Hensley wrote via LinkedIn on Friday in response to the news that Mr DeJoy had been named Astronomer's interim CEO, 'Pete DeJoy is amazing. I'm so excited for him. Love you Petey'.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr DeJoy has worked at Astronomer for eight years, with his most recent role being chief product officer. He has also worked as a vice president of product and is a co-founder.
A spokesman for Astronomer confirmed to Page Six via email late on Friday night that: 'Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days.'
Mr Byron and Astronomer's chief people officer Kristin Cabot were temporarily suspended from the company after they went viral for canoodling at a Coldplay concert earlier this week.
The two co-workers were caught on a jumbotron camera at a Boston show on Wednesday cosily hugging each other, but when they realised they were on the screen, they immediately hid in shame.
It was then revealed after Mr Byron is married to a woman named Megan Kerrigan Byron, who has since removed his last name from her Facebook and deactivated her social media accounts.
Ms Cabot divorced her first husband, Kenneth Thornby, in 2022, according to Massachusetts court records obtained by The Post.
However, it appears she may now be married to Privateer Rum's CEO Andrew Cabot, since they share the same last name and are co-owners of the same house in New Hampshire.
Neither Mr Byron nor Ms Cabot have commented on the affair allegations, but Astronomer released an official statement on Friday, revealing the company had launched a formal investigation into the matter.
'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,' the statement read.
'The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Europe hopes for 'no surprises' as US weighs force withdrawals
After keeping Donald Trump happy with a pledge to up defence spending at NATO's summit, Europe is now bracing for a key decision from the US president on the future of American forces on the continent. Washington is currently conducting a review of its military deployments worldwide -- set to be unveiled in coming months -- and the expectation is it will lead to drawdowns in Europe. That prospect is fraying the nerves of US allies, especially as fears swirl that Russia could look to attack a NATO country within the next few years if the war in Ukraine dies down. However, the alliance is basking in Trump's newfound goodwill following its June summit in The Hague, and his officials are making encouraging noises that Europe will not be left in the lurch. "We've agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe," said Matthew Whitaker, US ambassador to NATO, adding he expected the review to come out in "late summer, early fall". "I have daily conversations with our allies about the process," he said. While successive US governments have mulled scaling back in Europe to focus more on China, Trump has insisted more forcefully than his predecessors that the continent should handle its own defence. "There's every reason to expect a withdrawal from Europe," said Marta Mucznik from the International Crisis Group. "The question is not whether it's going to happen, but how fast." When Trump returned to office in January many felt he was about to blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance. But the vibe in NATO circles is now far more upbeat than those desperate days. "There's a sanguine mood, a lot of guesswork, but the early signals are quite positive," one senior European diplomat told AFP, talking as others on condition of anonymity. "Certainly no panic or doom and gloom." - 'Inevitable' - The Pentagon says there are nearly 85,000 US military personnel in Europe -- a number that has fluctuated between 75,000 and 105,000 since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "I think it is inevitable that they pull out some of their forces," a second European diplomat told AFP. "But I don't expect this to be like a dramatic overhaul. I think it's going to be gradual. I think it's going to be based on consultations." Trump's first target is likely to be the troops left over from a surge ordered by his predecessor Joe Biden after Moscow's tanks rolled into Ukraine. Officials say relocating the rump of that 20,000-strong deployment would not hurt NATO's deterrence too much -- but alarm bells would ring if Trump looked to cut too deep into personnel numbers or close key bases. The issue is not just troop numbers -- the US has capabilities such as air defences, long-range missiles and satellite surveillance that allies would struggle to replace in the short-term. "The kinds of defence investments by Europe that are being made coming out of The Hague summit may only be felt in real capability terms over many years," said Ian Lesser from the German Marshall Fund think tank. "So the question of timing really does matter." - 'Inopportune moment' - Washington's desire to pull back from Europe may be tempered by Trump now taking a tougher line with Russia -- and Moscow's reluctance to bow to his demands to end the Ukraine war. "It seems an inopportune moment to send signals of weakness and reductions in the American security presence in Europe," Lesser said. He also pointed to Trump's struggles during his first term to pull troops out of Germany -- the potential bill for relocating them along with political resistance in Washington scuppering the plan. While European diplomats are feeling more confident than before about the troop review, they admit nothing can be certain with the mercurial US president. Other issues such as Washington's trade negotiations with the EU could rock transatlantic ties in the meantime and upend the good vibes. "It seems positive for now," said a third European diplomat. "But what if we are all wrong and a force decrease will start in 2026. To be honest, there isn't much to go on at this stage." del/ec/jxb/tc

News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Review: Can Netgear's cheapest Wi-Fi 7 router fix your internet woes?
Does a router really make a difference in speeding up your internet within your home? It's a question I've often asked, especially while watching the wheel of death as YouTube videos were loading or Netflix streams died. Our internet connection at home is normally pretty good. But in recent times, it seems to have got worse, particularly after the rain or other weather events. And of course with so many devices connected in homes these days, everyone is trying to get a little bit of the bandwidth love. So when I got the opportunity to review Netgear's most affordable Wi-Fi 7 router, the Nighthawk RS100, I thought why not. At $259 it's definitely one of the more affordable solutions for people wanting faster connections of devices across the home, especially for those who have deadspots. It promises speeds of up to 3.6 GPS for gaming, smoother streaming and video conferencing. Did I notice a huge increase in speed? Yes and no. In my weeks of testing, I generally found my internet more stable and yes there was less buffering. But truth be told, the biggest increase came when I saw I could get a better internet speed from my provider for about $10 a month. That difference was surprisingly better than I thought it would be given I had pretty decent internet, most of the time. So what are the benefits of getting a router? In general, while a router won't increase your internet speed from your provider, it can optimise its performance in the home. That's especially the case when you have multiple devices connected at the same time. And with more powerful antennas, or mesh networking capabilities with better, more expensive systems, they can extend Wi-Fi range, eliminating dead spots in larger homes. Dual-band and tri-band routers also offer more channels and frequencies to avoid interference. Importantly, they can also offer better protection against hacking attempts. The Nighthawk RS100 is good for up to 185m2 of 360-degree WI-FI coverage. Netgear says its Armor software provides an automatic shield of security for your Wi-Fi and connected devices for real-time protection against hackers and added privacy with VPN. It was pleasantly reassuring to see on the Netgear app that there had been no threats on our connections during testing. You get a 30 day trial with the router and if you think there's value in it, you can subscribe for about $99 a year, which includes a VPN service. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device and the internet, masking your IP address. It allows you to bypass geographic restrictions and access content as if you were in another location, which is a particularly popular use to get around streaming restrictions. How easy is it to set up a router? Out of the box, the Netgear router is easy to set up. You simply download the Nighthawk app, scan the QR code on the router and it will take you through the set up process which includes plugging it into your existing modem with the cords provided. I made a mistake with the cords I connected and it quickly identified that, advising me to check I had plugged them into the right spots. The whole process took about 30 minutes, which included rebooting and updating the router. Then of course you have to go around to the various devices you use and make sure you switch over to the Netgear connection to ensure the benefits. I was hoping I might be able to give some devices greater preference in terms of bandwidth – for example my work computer vs. my son's gaming needs, but that option wasn't available. There also no parental controls via the app that I could see. The router supports just the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequency bands, omitting the higher-speed 6.0GHz band, so if you are right into gaming, you might want to go for the next models up. But if you have an older modem, you certainly should see some decent improvements. If space is an issue, one of the benefits of the RS100 model is it is smaller than others in the range, standing at 184mm high, 66mm wide and 122mm deep. It's certainly a lot smaller than my existing modem. The RS100 has a 2.5Gb Ethernet port for your broadband connection (WAN), along with four Gigabit Ethernet ports to provide wired (LAN) connections for a PC or games console if required. The app is easy to use and will show you things like your internet speed and the history of your speed. So is it worth it? At $259, it could be a reasonable costing solution to improving your connections throughout the house. But if you are looking for more advanced features like parental controls, you will need to look at other routers, or do it via your owns phones.

News.com.au
16 hours ago
- News.com.au
Donald Trump claims Beyonce, Oprah broke law in Harris endorsement deal
Beyonce. Oprah Winfrey. Kamala Harris. US President Donald Trump has taken aim at the trio of influential women, saying they 'should be prosecuted' during a stunning late-night rant. Mr Trump took to Truth Social to unleash in a major way, posting the rant at 7.45pm Scotland time, where he is currently on a weekend golfing trip. Mr Trump alleged that Beyonce never sang despite being paid USD$11 (AUD$16) million to endorse Mrs Harris before her speech at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas. Mr Trump also highlighted amounts allegedly paid to talk show host Oprah and TV personality Reverend Al Sharpton. He also said the large amount of money spent by his Democratic opponents during the 2024 election will be reviewed, and that payment was 'probably illegally' made. 'I'm looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for 'expenses', to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV 'anchor', Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely nothing!', Mr Trump posted on Truth Social. 'These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. 'Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW.' He continued: 'They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter.' However, there's no evidence that those named in Mr Trump's post received payment for their endorsement by the Democratic campaign. Oprah previously said she 'was not paid a dime' for the appearance, however 'the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story'. The Harris campaign has also denied making any endorsement payment for Beyonce. Mr Trump has made similar allegations previously. In December, he wrote that 'Beyoncé didn't sing, Oprah didn't do much of anything (she called it 'expenses') and Al is just a third-rate conman'. He's also no stranger to using legal threats. Beyonce and Oprah aren't the only celebrities Mr Trump has criticised. Earlier this week, he addressed CBS' shocking decision to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, seemingly suggesting that other late night hosts should get a similar treatment. Of particular focus was his longtime critic, Jimmy Kimmel. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!' Mr Kimmel and Mr Trump have reportedly been feuding for years. When Mr Trump won the presidency in 2024, Mr Kimmel called it a 'terrible night' for democracy and announced he was on Trump's 'list of enemies'.