A formal investigation has been launched into a married tech entrepreneur snuggling up with an employee at a Coldplay concert, company officials announced Friday.
Astronomer, a privately held data management firm, broke its silence regarding viral footage showing CEO Andy Byron in a romantic embrace with Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay show Wednesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts — thrusting the company into unwanted attention.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the statement released Friday said. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
Andy Byron embracing Kristin Cabot before they realized they were beng publicized on the kissing cam. Andy Byron embracing Kristin Cabot before they realized they were beng publicized on the kissing cam. Grace Springer via Storyful/Grace Springer via Storyful
Company officials also announced Alyssa Stoddard, a senior employee at the firm who had been erroneously identified online, did not attend the concert.
“Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video,” Astronomer’s statement concluded. “Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
Multiple attempts by Newsweek to reach Byron, 50, and Cabot, 52, have been unsuccessful. Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, removed his surname from her Facebook profile Thursday before deleting her account altogether.
Cabot, who started working for Astronomer in November, had been previously married to Kenneth Thornby. The couple had two children during their seven-year marriage, which ended in 2018 due to “irretrievable breakdown,” according to public records viewed by Newsweek.
Attempts to reach Thornby have been unsuccessful.
Byron, who joined Astronomer in 2023, publicly praised Cabot in November, citing her more than 20 years of experience in “people and culture” leadership.
“At Astronomer, our people are the most valuable asset in helping our customers do more to gain a competitive advantage with their data,” Byron said in a statement. “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory. She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
Kristin Cabot’s LinkedIn page prior to being removed Thursday. Kristin Cabot’s LinkedIn page prior to being removed Thursday. LinkedIn
Cabot, at the time, said she considered her role to be “people strategy versus traditional human resources,” according to Astronomer’s statement.
It’s unclear whether Byron’s wife also attended the concert, where footage showed the tech entrepreneur embracing Cabot from behind Wednesday as Coldplay frontman Chris Martin took note during a pause in the set.
“Oh, look at these two,” Martin said as the camera caught the canoodling pair, who quickly separated when their image was beamed on the big screen to tens of thousands of fans enjoying the show.
“All right, come on, you’re OK,” Martin continued. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
