Software company Astronomer has launched a formal investigation after its married CEO and head of HR were caught being intimate at a Coldplay concert, engulfing the internet in rumors of an alleged affair between the boss and his underling.
“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,” the company said in a statement on LinkedIn.
“The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.
Social media went into meltdown after footage circulated showing two people – later identified as Andy Byron and his company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot – awkwardly jumping out of each other’s arms as they flashed up on a “kiss cam” during the band’s show in Boston Wednesday night.
Byron, who had his arms wrapped around Cabot’s waist from behind, quickly let her go as his HR chief covered her face with her hands. He then crouched down, trying to hide from the camera.
Software company Astronomer has launched a formal investigation after its CEO Andy Byron and head of HR Kristin Cabot were caught being intimate at a Coldplay concert, engulfing the internet in rumors of an alleged affair between them (TikTok @instaagraace)
Software company Astronomer has launched a formal investigation after its CEO Andy Byron and head of HR Kristin Cabot were caught being intimate at a Coldplay concert, engulfing the internet in rumors of an alleged affair between them (TikTok @instaagraace)
“Oh, what…either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped as the pair ran away from where they were standing.
In its statement the company sought to clarify several details about the incident and the aftermath, Byron’s alleged response.
“Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect,” the statement read.
Though Byron has kept mum on the incident, Astronomer co-founder Ry Walker, who was CEO himself from 2015 to 2019, and worked with him briefly, spoke out on X. “I’ve found Andy to be professional, I’ve only ever been on a call with him once,” he wrote.
“Everyone on the team has praised his leadership to me. So I think this is an unfortunate development that comes as a big surprise,” he added.
Byron has been CEO of Astronomer, a New York City-based data orchestration platform that “empowers data teams to bring mission-critical analytics, Ai, and software to life,” since 2023, according to the company’s LinkedIn page.
Meanwhile, Cabot joined the team nine months ago, according to her LinkedIn.
Despite the official investigation, hundreds cracked jokes online about the awkward situation, speculating that the two were cheating on their spouses.
“:ol if they’d have just stuck it out and smiled for the camera this would never have surfaced as virally as it did,” one internet user wrote. “Their spouses would have left them anyway once they learned of their Coldplay fetish,” another joked.
