
HR director caught on Coldplay ‘kiss cam' quits company
Kristin Cabot has stepped down from her position at Astronomer, a software company, after the footage of her in the arms of Andy Byron went viral on social media, according to TMZ.
'Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer – she's resigned,' a source told the celebrity news website.
Mr Byron, who is reportedly married, stepped down as the company's chief executive on Saturday, shortly after its directors announced it would hold an investigation into the incident.
When footage of the pair was beamed around the arena on the 'kiss cam', Ms Cabot quickly covered her face and moved away, while Mr Byron ducked out of sight.
The crowd could be heard laughing as Chris Martin, the Coldplay singer, said: 'Oh, look at these two ... Either they're having an affair or they're very shy.'
Sports fans and even team mascots have re-enacted the moment on 'kiss cams' across the US.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Byron led Astronomer, a New York-based company, for two years.
On Friday, Astronomer announced its board of directors had launched an investigation into its own chief executive.
'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,' it said in a statement.
'The board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.'
A woman understood to be Mr Byron's wife has changed her last name on her Facebook account, according to reports.
Ms Cabot joined in 2024 as chief people officer, with Mr Byron describing her as a 'proven leader' with a 'passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces'. Reports suggest she was married but divorced in 2022.
The incident took place just months after Astronomer raised $93m (£69.3m) from investors. The company is said to be valued at around $1bn.

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


Metro
43 minutes ago
- Metro
Gwyneth Paltrow's ‘savage' new Astronomer spokesperson job after kiss cam drama
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Gwyneth Paltrow has been hired as Astronomer's 'temporary spokesperson' to answer the many questions received following her ex-husband Chris Martin's involvement in the company's kiss cam scandal. The Hollywood star, 52, and the software company alike were praised for the 'brilliant' move and having a 'savage' sense of humour in the wake of the world's unexpected scrutiny over two former employees. In case you've been living under a rock, Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron was caught in an embrace on a jumbotron at a Coldplay concert in Boston earlier this month with his HR chief Kristin Cabot before they both abruptly tried to hide. This led frontman Chris to joke: 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy!' Both have since quit their roles at the company after the clip went viral and sparked countless memes and jokes at their expense. But Astronomer has had the last laugh in hiring actress and Goop founder Gwyneth for a parody video in an expert crisis management move. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Shakespeare in Love star – who famously 'consciously uncoupled' from rock star Chris, 48, in 2014 – revealed in the surprise video on Friday night that she had been 'hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer'. 'Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones,' she explained, brightly, before the video cut to on-screen text typing out the question, 'OMG! What the actual f—'. The actress then leapt in to, um, definitely not answer that question, instead enthusing: 'Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apace Airflow.' She added: 'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation.' 'As for the other questions we've received,' the Oscar-winner continued, before on-screen text again popped up to wite out, 'How is your social media team holding—'. The Sliding Doors actress again responded on an obviously unrelated note to advertise that yes, there was indeed still space at an upcoming conference Astronomer is holding in September. She then signed off the video on Astronomer's social pages by thanking people for their interest in Astronomer and adding: 'We will now be returning to what we do best.' 'You got Chris Martin's ex-wife???!!! Savage,' commented Molly O'Shea on X, while Dan Go praised the video as 'marketing jiu jitsu' and another fan laughingly called Gwyneth's hire 'diabolical'. 'Whenever [sic.] was behind this idea should be the first to enter heavens pearly gates,' commented @empressatlantis as @tednotlasso added: 'CMO should be new CEO.' 'I want to hate on it but I cannot. Masterclass,' added Josh Pate. 'The Entertainment from now until the end of time,' tweeted @nearcyan while Sam Kampner suggested: 'Just another proof [sic.] that there's no such thing as 'bad publicity'.' The kiss cam moment also resulted in a surge of interest in Coldplay's chart-topping music, with streaming up 25% on the band's tunes. According to data from Luminate sourced by Billboard, in the five days before the Boston concert on July 16, Coldplay had 28,700,000 streams. This soared up to 35,700,000 in the five days after the scandal. The clip was filmed by Grace Springer, 28, from New Jersey, who stood by her decision to share it online in the wake of the media frenzy, saying she had 'no idea' who the couple was and just thought she had 'caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it. She told The US Sun: 'A part of me feels bad for turning these people's live's upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes. 'I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Nicole Kidman could be next to flee Trump's US after applying for residency in Europe MORE: The Jonas Brothers reflect on creepy questions about their sex life aged 14 MORE: Denise Welch reveals why she's 'glad' to not be Taylor Swift's mother-in-law


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Gwyneth Paltrow appears in unusual Coldplay kiss-cam scandal response from Astronomer
Gwyneth Paltrow has made an unusual appearance in a video response from Astronomer after their CEO and head of HR were caught canoodling at a Coldplay concert causing an ' affair ' scandal. Paltrow, who is the ex-wife of Coldplay front-man Chris Martin, addresses questions in the tongue in cheek video that the business has received in the last week relating to the scandal by reeling off facts about the business instead. Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron and Head of HR Kristin Cabot, who have now both resigned, were panned to on the jumbotron 'kiss cam' and immediately hid from the camera. Chris Martin called it out at the time saying, "Either they're having an affair or their just really shy."


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Astronomer release video response to Coldplay kiss-cam scandal staring Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow made an unusual appearance in a video for the company Astronomer, responding to an 'affair' scandal. The scandal involved Astronomer's CEO, Andy Byron, and Head of HR, Kristin Cabot, who were caught on a 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Paltrow's ex-husband, publicly commented on the pair at the concert, questioning their relationship. Both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot have since resigned from their roles at Astronomer. Gwyneth Paltrow appears in unusual Coldplay kiss-cam scandal response from Astronomer