By Ghazali Ibrahim
Andy Byron, chief executive of the data-infrastructure company Astronomer, has resigned after a moment of intimacy at a Coldplay concert went viral.
The incident, broadcast on the stadium’s “kiss cam,” showed Byron and the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, in an embrace.
The incident occurred during Coldplay’s July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
When Byron and Cabot realized they were on the big screen, both quickly ducked and attempted to hide. Lead singer Chris Martin quipped, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” adding to the spectacle’s global impact.
Astronomer initially placed Byron and Cabot on administrative leave pending a formal investigation into the incident.
On July 19, the company released a statement saying:
Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted it. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability and, recently, that standard was not met.”
Pete DeJoy, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Astronomer, has been named as interim CEO while a permanent replacement is sought
Byron joined Astronomer as CEO in July 2023 and led the company through a standout $93 million Series D funding round in early 2025, valuing the startup at approximately $1.3 billion. The New York-based firm is known for its Astro DataOps platform built on Apache Airflow
His career includes executive roles at Fuze, Cybereason, and Lacework, where he scaled revenue and operations across cloud and security divisions.
Viewers on social media quickly traced the pair to their executive roles, leading to intense reputational damage and scrutiny of workplace etiquette and power dynamics.
Astronomer has clarified that the woman in the video was indeed chief people officer Kristin Cabot, not the previously misidentified VP Alyssa Stoddard and reaffirmed that Byron had made no public apologies, despite fake statements circulating on X.
As Pete DeJoy leads the transition, Astronomer maintains that its products and mission remain unchanged. The company reaffirmed its commitment to the clients and stakeholders who helped build its reputation in the DataOps space.
