NEW YORK, July 19 — The CEO of New York-based tech firm Astronomer has been placed on leave after a viral video showed him embracing a colleague during a Coldplay concert — a moment that lit up the internet and sparked an internal investigation.
Andy Byron was caught on the Jumbotron mid-snuggle with Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s chief people officer, while Coldplay performed at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on Wednesday.
The pair abruptly separated when they realised they were being broadcast on the massive screen, with Byron quickly ducking out of view.
“Whoa, look at these two,” Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin joked from the stage.
“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
@instaagraace trouble in paradise??#coldplay #boston #coldplayconcert #kisscam #fyp original sound – grace
Social media, unsurprisingly, went into sleuth mode. Within hours, users had identified the pair and begun circulating memes, parody accounts, and even fake statements — prompting the company to issue an official response.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” Astronomer said in a LinkedIn post yesterday, noting that the board of directors had launched a formal investigation.
The company also addressed false online claims, including a misidentification of a third person in the video and a phoney statement allegedly from Byron.
Later that evening, the company confirmed Byron’s leave and named co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy as interim CEO.
As of now, neither Byron nor Cabot has made a public statement. Coldplay has also not responded to media requests for comment.
