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Astronomer CEO Andy Byron Resigns Following Viral Coldplay Kiss Cam Drama: 'Our Leaders are Expected to Set the Standard'

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron Resigns Following Viral Coldplay Kiss Cam Drama: 'Our Leaders are Expected to Set the Standard'

Yahoo6 days ago
The company's board of directors accepted Andy Byron's resignation, according to a statementNEED TO KNOW
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has resigned from his position with the tech company following the drama surrounding the viral Coldplay concert kiss cam
The company's board of directors accepted the resignation, according to a statement shared on July 19
Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEOAndy Byron, the CEO of Astronomer, has resigned from his position with the tech company following the drama surrounding the viral Coldplay concert kiss cam.
After a couple went viral for their reaction to being spotted at the Gillette Stadium show in Foxboro, Mass., on Wednesday, July 16, a company spokesperson told PEOPLE on Friday, July 18, that Byron was "placed on leave" and cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy was serving as interim CEO.
The tech company announced in an update on X on Saturday, July 19, that Byron "has tendered his resignation," and the board of directors has "accepted" it.
"As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," Astronomer's latest statement read. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met."
"The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO," the statement continued.
"Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not," added the statement. "We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems."
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Byron's resignation comes just days after the concert moment went viral on social media. In the footage, a couple — who were not identified — could be seen, with a man wrapping his arms around a woman.
After apparently realizing that they were on camera, the woman covered her face, while the man ducked down out of sight.
The reactions prompted Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin to joke that they might be having an 'affair."
"Oh, look at these two,' Martin, 48, said to the crowd as the couple hid. "All right, c'mon. You're okay.' The musician then added: "Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.'
Per The Guardian, Martin attempted to address what went down later in the show as well. 'Holy s---,' he reportedly told the stadium crowd. 'I hope we didn't do something bad.'
Astronomer previously wrote on LinkedIn that its board "initiated a formal investigation into this matter" and would "have additional details to share very shortly," reiterating that its "leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability."
The company did not explicitly confirm the identities of anybody in the video at the time, and reported that statements made about "other employees" being present at the concert and featured in the video were incorrect.
Citing a source, Axios reported this week that the company's public response was delayed "due in part to Byron's slow resignation and exit package negotiations."
The company's spokesperson had no comment on the Axios story when reached by PEOPLE, and Byron has not responded to separate messages seeking comment. Efforts to reach the woman in the footage were previously unsuccessful.
Read the original article on People
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Astronomer HR chief resigns after Coldplay 'Kiss Cam' viral video
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The human relations chief of the data tech company Astronomer has reportedly resigned along with its former CEO following the Coldplay 'Kiss Cam' viral video. The New York firm said in a statement that Kristin Cabot resigned as chief people officer and is "no longer with Astronomer," according to CNBC and BBC. The reports come days after Andy Byron "tendered his resignation" as CEO, the company wrote on an X post July 19 adding that "the Board of Directors has accepted." As of Thursday, July 24, the pair are no longer listed in the company's leadership page. The viral moment shows a man and a woman embracing each other before quickly letting go and ducking out of view when a "Kiss Cam" put them in the spotlight at a July 16 Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The clip, with 124 million views on TikTok alone, shows the two holding each other before quickly letting go and ducking out of view when they spotted themselves on the Gilette Stadium Jumbotron screen. Neither Cabot or Byron have issued a public comment regarding their resignations. USA TODAY has reached out to Astronomer for comment. New CEO issues positive statement after controversy Co-founder Pete DeJoy, who assumed the role of interim CEO following Byron's resignation, commented on the controversies in a July 21 LinkedIn post titled "Moving Forward at Astronomer." He said the company has received more media attention in the wake of the kiss cam incident than most companies ever encounter. "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," DeJoy wrote. While Astronomer has not specified exactly why Byron or Cabot have resigned, the firm wrote that the company "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." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Astronomer HR chief resigns after Coldplay 'Kiss Cam' viral video Solve the daily Crossword

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Female HR exec caught on Coldplay cam resigns after embrace with CEO went viral

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The female executive who was caught on camera embracing the CEO of her company at a Coldplay concert in a moment that went viral has resigned, according to news reports. Multiple news outlets reported that Kristin Cabot, the executive in charge of human resources at tech company Astronomer, has resigned. Her departure follows the resignation of CEO Andy Byron, who quit after the company said he was being put on leave pending an investigation. The episode resulted in endless memes, parody videos and screenshots of the pair's shocked faces filling social media feeds Cabot and Byron were caught by surprise when singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song' during the concert last week at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They were shown cuddling and smiling, but when they saw themselves on the big screen, Cabot's jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera while Byron ducked out of the frame. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked in video that spread quickly around the internet. When the video first spread online it wasn't immediately clear who they were, but online sleuths rapidly figured out their identities. The company has previously confirmed the identities of the couple in a statement to the AP. Both of their profiles have been now removed from Astronomer's website and a November press release announcing her hiring has also been deleted. Astronomer was a previously obscure tech company based in New York. It provides big companies with a platform that helps them organize their data.

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