5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Coldplaygate' is a stark reminder that cameras are everywhere
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'Oh, look at these two,' Martin said, prepared to sing another sweet song. Then things became awkward.
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Coldplay's Chris Martin accidentally exposes astronomer CEO Andy Byron having an affair with his HR chief Kristin Cabot.
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave)
When Cabot noticed her face on the screen, she immediately jumped out of Byron's arms, covered her face and turned around. He ducked out of view. A woman standing beside them was seen cupping her face in disbelief, her mouth wide open.
Martin, realizing what was happening, said: 'Wow, what? Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy. I'm not quite sure what to do.'
The identities of Byron and Cabot were confirmed by a spokesperson for Astronomer on Friday night after the company issued a statement saying Byron had been placed on leave and that the company's chief product officer, Peter DeJoy, would serve as interim CEO.
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On Saturday, Astronomer announced that Byron
The incident, which has dominated social media, was a stark reminder of how quickly things can spread thanks to social media and how cameras are surrounding people at all times. That is especially true at large concerts where fans are often recording snippets or streaming them on social media. Case in point: The video of Wednesday's interaction was posted by a concertgoer with a modest TikTok following. But thanks to the power of that app's algorithm, it had more than 77 million views as of Friday evening.
It took only a few seconds of video for Byron and Cabot to thoroughly dominate internet discourse and become an instant meme, which many have called 'Coldplaygate.'
As the video circulated, some shared their advice for the couple, suggesting they could have covered themselves in a blanket or thrown on a pair of shades. Others pointed out how awkward things would be at their office the next day.
The moment proceeded to be shared, and joked about, by politicians, corporations and even New York City's sanitation department.
From there, it turned into a broader discussion of privacy and why they had been wrong to assume they would not be seen and, potentially, recorded.
As stated previously, 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.
Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and…
— Astronomer (@astronomerio)
'If you're in a public place, there is absolutely no expectation of privacy,' said Charles Lindsey, an associate professor of marketing at University at Buffalo School of Management. 'When you're in a public place, whether it be a public park, a store, a concert, there are cameras, and if it's on camera, you can't take it back.'
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That lesson had been learned by plenty of people before this incident.
There was the time in May when the door of a plane carrying French President Emmanuel Macron had just been opened by staff in Hanoi, Vietnam, when his wife, Brigitte Macron, pushed him in the face. When he looked up and noticed a camera filming the scene from outside, he waved. The video quickly gained traction online, leading to a flurry of interpretations.
In 2024, there was a great deal of debate over a woman posting videos on TikTok in which she assumed she was witnessing an extramarital affair taking place on a plane.
And there was the infamous Met Gala elevator incident in 2014, where Solange Knowles was seen attacking Jay-Z while her sister, Beyoncé, stood watching and a bodyguard tried to restore order. The security-cam footage leaked to TMZ, and it became fodder for the public.
'We live in a very intrusive world, in terms of cameras and digital footprints,' Lindsey said. 'It can take 10 or 20 years to build a reputation, and you can lose it in a moment.'
This article originally appeared in
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