Andy Byron, the CEO of New York tech firm Astronomer, announced his resignation on Saturday after a viral clip from a Coldplay concert fueled rumors of an inappropriate relationship with a colleague.
The incident took place on Wednesday during Coldplay’s performance in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when the stadium’s large screen showed Byron and a woman—later identified by online users as Astronomer’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot—locked in an intimate moment. Both appeared visibly flustered upon realizing they were on camera, with Byron quickly moving out of frame and Cabot hiding her face. Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, humorously remarked, “Uh-oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy,”drawing laughter from the audience.
The clip spread rapidly across social media, amassing millions of views and sparking widespread speculation. Memes and jokes flooded platforms like TikTok and X, with one user noting, “The irony? The HR head is involved in the workplace scandal she’d normally warn others about.”Even sports teams joined in, as the Philadelphia Phillies’ mascots recreated the awkward moment on their stadium screen during a game.
Astronomer acted quickly, launching an internal review before confirming Byron’s departure in a LinkedIn post: “Our leadership team is held to the highest standards of conduct and accountability, and in this instance, those expectations were not met. Andy Byron has resigned.”
A fake apology attributed to Byron circulated online, later revealed to be from a satirical account. The company has not addressed Cabot’s involvement or clarified the nature of the relationship shown in the video.
The incident has reignited debates about workplace ethics and the dangers of public scrutiny in the social media era.
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