Latest news with #AstronomerInc


Time of India
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Coldplaygate: Did Amul's Butter Fingers make a slip in judgement?
When life gives you a corporate scandal , make butter puns or so Amul thought. The iconic dairy brand recently stirred up controversy with their topical advertisement featuring the Coldplay "kiss cam" incident, where tech CEO Andy Byron and HR leader Kristin Cabot were caught in an intimate moment during the band's Boston concert. Byron subsequently resigned from his position as CEO of Astronomer Inc. Amul's cheeky poster featuring their beloved mascot with the punchline "Hum Tum Ek Camera Mein Bandh Ho" with the spotlight of a couple being "caught on camera" garnered over 157,000 views on X, but not everyone found it as smooth as butter. The backlash was evident on social media. LinkedIn transformed into a grief counselling session for gutted Amul devotees. One marketing heavyweight delivered a crushing blow: "There is a thin line between topical and tacky. This one, respectfully, leaned towards the latter... Please don't let virality dilute the voice." Another cut deeper: "This is definitely not funny. People are suffering. Families are breaking. You are a brand Indians are proud of — you don't need to stoop to the level of cheap influencers in the name of topical content." A third professional went for the jugular: "The business and the brand Amul just don't understand the basics of Brand Management ... But does it resonate with the Positioning and Values of the Brand! I pity the Advertising Agency and the Brand Team at Amul!" The most devastating came from a lifelong fan: "This one surely was utterly-butterly but not delicious :( You've always shown that it's possible to be cheeky without being cruel... Still yours. Unbuttered, but never bitter." The social media reaction was decidedly mixed, like butter left out too long. Multiple brands jumped on the viral moment, but Amul's approach seemed to spread controversy rather than contain it. This controversy highlights the delicate slice between being topical and tasteless. When your most loyal fans are writing heartbreak letters, perhaps it's time to stick to actual bread-and-butter topics. ET BrandEquity reached out to Amul – radio silence so far. We'll keep buttering you up with updates


Fast Company
3 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Astronomer CEO resigns after viral Coldplay concert video
The IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc., according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company Saturday. '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, and recently, that standard was not met,' the company said in its post on LinkedIn. 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 jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed in a statement to AP that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Byron and Cabot as captured on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song,' when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a U.S.-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed It's easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Look for them on the walls when you arrive and around the bar areas or toilets. It's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. The venue in this case, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, also has a privacy policy online which states: 'When you visit our location or attend or participate in an event at our location, we may capture your image, voice and/or likeness, including through the use of CCTV cameras and/or when we film or photograph you in a public location.' Once captured, a moment can be shared widely 'They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted,' said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around 'leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them,' she added. Still, Taylor and others stress how quickly such a video can lead to an internet search to find the people involved — and note that it's important to remember that such 'doxing' isn't just reserved for famous people. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances, such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence, have made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in a viral video today. 'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' said Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.'


Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Country singer Jason Aldean hit with backlash for poking fun at tech CEO affair after his own cheating scandal
Jason Aldean faced criticism after mocking a tech CEO ensnared in a cheating scandal, when he himself faced public scrutiny over an admitted infidelity. It comes as the IT company CEO captured in a widely circulated video showing him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert has resigned. Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc., according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company Saturday. '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, and recently, that standard was not met,' the company said in its post on LinkedIn. 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 jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed in a statement to AP that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Byron and Cabot as captured on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song,' when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a U.S.-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. It's easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Look for them on the walls when you arrive and around the bar areas or toilets. It's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. The venue in this case, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, also has a privacy policy online which states: 'When you visit our location or attend or participate in an event at our location, we may capture your image, voice and/or likeness, including through the use of CCTV cameras and/or when we film or photograph you in a public location.' 'They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted,' said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around 'leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them,' she added. Still, Taylor and others stress how quickly such a video can lead to an internet search to find the people involved — and note that it's important to remember that such 'doxing' isn't just reserved for famous people. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances, such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence, have made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in a viral video today. 'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' said Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.'


Sunday World
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Astronomer CEO quits after being caught in ‘affair' on Coldplay kiss cam
LATEST | Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot on camera at the concert Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company. '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, and recently, that standard was not met,' the company said in its post on LinkedIn. The move comes a day after the company said that Mr Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Mr Byron and Ms Cabot as captured on the kiss cam at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song,' when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a U.S.-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Both are married, and the incident sent the internet into overdrive with speculation about an affair between the two previous unknowns. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. It's easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Look for them on the walls when you arrive and around the bar areas or toilets. It's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his company's chief people officer Kristin Cabot caught on kiss-cam The venue in this case, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, also has a privacy policy online which states: 'When you visit our location or attend or participate in an event at our location, we may capture your image, voice and/or likeness, including through the use of CCTV cameras and/or when we film or photograph you in a public location.' 'They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted,' said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around 'leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them,' she added. Still, Ms Taylor and others stress how quickly such a video lead to an internet search to find the people involved — and note that it's important to remember that such 'doxing' isn't just reserved for famous people. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances, such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence, has made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in a viral video today. 'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' said Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.' Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot on camera at the concert Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 20th


Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Astronomer CEO quits after being caught in ‘affair' on Coldplay kiss cam
Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Cincinnati-based Astronomer Inc, according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company. '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, and recently, that standard was not met,' the company said in its post on LinkedIn. The move comes a day after the company said that Mr Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the jumbotron incident, which went viral. A company spokesman later confirmed that it was Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot in the video. The short video clip shows Mr Byron and Ms Cabot as captured on the kiss cam at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday. Lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song,' when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' he joked. Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a U.S.-based company and the woman as its chief people officer. Both are married, and the incident sent the internet into overdrive with speculation about an affair between the two previous unknowns. Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron's successor. It's easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Look for them on the walls when you arrive and around the bar areas or toilets. It's common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films. The venue in this case, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, also has a privacy policy online which states: 'When you visit our location or attend or participate in an event at our location, we may capture your image, voice and/or likeness, including through the use of CCTV cameras and/or when we film or photograph you in a public location.' 'They probably would have got away with it if they hadn't reacted,' said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. And by the time the alleged identities emerged on social media, it hit a classic nerve around 'leaders acting like the rules don't apply to them,' she added. Still, Ms Taylor and others stress how quickly such a video lead to an internet search to find the people involved — and note that it's important to remember that such 'doxing' isn't just reserved for famous people. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances, such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence, has made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in a viral video today. 'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' said Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.'