Astronomer CEO resigns after Coldplay concert video goes viral
Byron’s resignation comes a day after the company opened an investigation and placed him on leave.
MASSACHUSETTS, USA — Andy Byron stepped down from his role as CEO of tech company Astronomer after a video of him holding a woman at a Coldplay concert went viral, according to 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 a social media post.
The incident happened at a concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on Wednesday when lead singer Chris Martin asked camera operators to scan the crowd so he could sing a few words about the people on screen.
For several seconds, a couple was shown on the big screen. They were 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.
Martin was heard joking “either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The moment went viral online, causing people to guess who those in the video were.
Internet sleuths were quick to identify the man as Astronomer’s CEO and the woman as an employee working at the same company. A company spokesman confirmed to the Associated Press that Byron and Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot were in the video.
It prompted the company to open an investigation into the incident.
“The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly,” the company wrote in a statement on social media. “Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
Hours after the company posted about an investigation, they announced Byron had been “placed on leave.”
Just a day later, Byron issued his resignation which the board of directors “accepted,” according to the company.
“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,” the company wrote in a statement. “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.”
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.