CEO of Astronomer Placed on Leave
The tech company Astronomer has been embroiled in a public relations crisis following a viral video from a Coldplay concert. CEO Andy Byron was captured on the stadium's 'kiss cam' embracing Kristin Cabot, the company's Head of HR. The footage, which quickly spread across social media, showed the two executives reacting awkwardly when they realized they were on the big screen, prompting a joke from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin about whether they were 'having an affair or just very shy.'
The incident sparked widespread speculation about an alleged affair, particularly as both Byron and Cabot are reportedly married to other people. The backlash was swift, with social media users dubbing the event 'ColdplayGate' and inundating Byron's wife's social media with messages of sympathy, leading her to deactivate her accounts. Accusations of a 'toxic' work culture at Astronomer also surfaced from former employees.
In response to the mounting pressure, Astronomer initially announced an internal investigation and placed Byron on leave. Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy stepped in as interim CEO. Just a day later, the company confirmed that Andy Byron had tendered his resignation, which the board of directors accepted. Astronomer stated that their leaders are expected to uphold high standards of conduct and accountability, implying that Byron's actions did not meet this standard. The company also had to address fake apology statements circulating online attributed to Byron.
The incident has significantly impacted Astronomer's public image, although the company maintains that its core product and work for customers remain unaffected. The 'Coldplay Canoodlers' incident has also inspired a viral web game, further cementing its place in internet meme culture.
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CEO of Astronomer Placed on Leave was originally published on wibc.com
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34 minutes ago
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Astronomer chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, resigns after viral Coldplay video
Music Social mediaFacebookTweetLink Follow Kristin Cabot, the chief people officer of Astronomer, has resigned, the company confirmed to CNN Thursday. The resignation comes after Cabot, who oversaw the organization's human resources, and Andy Byron, the then-chief executive of the New York-based tech company, were spotted embracing at a Coldplay concert earlier this month. Byron resigned last week after being placed on leave, according to an earlier statement shared with CNN. The two were seen on a Jumbotron screen – a so-called 'kiss cam' – at a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, last week, embracing before separating and ducking out of view. 'Whoa, look at these two,' Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped at the time. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' The video of the two quickly went viral online, along with alleged statements from the ex-CEO acknowledging the situation. Astronomer, however, said on LinkedIn that Bryon had not put out any statement and 'reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.' That statement also addressed the misidentification of a third person seen in the viral clip. '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 also read. The data operations company, founded in 2018, acknowledged in a separate statement that 'awareness of our company may have changed overnight,' but its mission would continue to focus on addressing data and artificial intelligence problems. The company said Astronomer's co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Pete DeJoy, would serve as interim CEO. Byron's LinkedIn account is no longer public, and he was removed from the company's leadership page following the announcement, which now lists co-founder DeJoy as CEO. CNN's Lisa Respers France and Auzinea Bacon contributed to this report.
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an hour ago
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Astronomer chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, resigns after viral Coldplay video
Kristin Cabot, the chief people officer of Astronomer, has resigned, the company confirmed to CNN Thursday. The resignation comes after Cabot, who oversaw the organization's human resources, and Andy Byron, the then-chief executive of the New York-based tech company, were spotted embracing at a Coldplay concert earlier this month. Byron resigned last week after being placed on leave, according to an earlier statement shared with CNN. The two were seen on a Jumbotron screen – a so-called 'kiss cam' – at a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, last week, embracing before separating and ducking out of view. 'Whoa, look at these two,' Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped at the time. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' The video of the two quickly went viral online, along with alleged statements from the ex-CEO acknowledging the situation. Astronomer, however, said on LinkedIn that Bryon had not put out any statement and 'reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.' That statement also addressed the misidentification of a third person seen in the viral clip. '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 also read. The data operations company, founded in 2018, acknowledged in a separate statement that 'awareness of our company may have changed overnight,' but its mission would continue to focus on addressing data and artificial intelligence problems. The company said Astronomer's co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Pete DeJoy, would serve as interim CEO. Byron's LinkedIn account is no longer public, and he was removed from the company's leadership page following the announcement, which now lists co-founder DeJoy as CEO. CNN's Lisa Respers France and Auzinea Bacon contributed to this report.
