Tech firm CEO resigns after viral Coldplay concert video
Byron stepped down from his role as CEO of US-based artificial intelligence company Astronomer following widespread online speculation that the woman in the video was the company's HR chief, Kristin Cabot.
Earlier this week, a pair were spotted together on the "kiss cam" screen at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, before both promptly ducked out of view.
"Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy," Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin joked to the crowd.
The company said in a statement that leaders were expected to meet standards of conduct and accountability, which had not been met in this case.
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"Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the board of directors has accepted," the statement said. "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.
"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. We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems."
The move comes a day after the company said that Byron had been placed on leave, and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the incident.
A short video clip from the Coldplay concert showed a man and a woman cuddling and smiling, his arms wrapped around her, as she leaned back into him.
When they saw themselves on the big screen, her jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face, and she spun away from the camera. He ducked out of the frame, as did she.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
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