Tech firm CEO resigns amid Coldplay concert kiss cam controversy
July 19 (UPI) -- Software developer Astronomer says former Chief Executive Officer Andy Byron resigned amid controversy following his attendance at a recent Coldplay concert.
New York-based Astronomer confirmed Byron's resignation on Saturday and said co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is its interim chief executive officer while its board of directors seeks a permanent replacement for Byron.
"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," Astronomer officials said Saturday in a post on X.
"Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met."
Byron is married but was caught attending a Coldplay concert with another woman on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The stadium's "kiss cam" zeroed in on Byron with his arms wrapped around a woman standing in front of him during the concert, NBC News reported.
When they realized they were on the kiss cam, Byron ducked out of the camera shot, while the unidentified woman covered her face.
Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin noticed the pair's reaction during the concert and opined: "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."
The video of the moment went viral, and social media sleuths identified the man as Byron.
Astronomer placed him on leave on Friday before accepting his resignation a day later, according to NBC News.
The tech firm is a relatively small company with fewer than 500 employees and noted the viral incident's impact on its operations.
"While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not," Astronomer said in its X post.
"We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems."
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