Astronomer CEO Andy Byron placed on leave after Coldplay concert video goes viral

Tech company Astronomer found itself in the eye of a storm after a video featuring its CEO Andy Byron hugging HR Chief Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert went viral. After the Jumbotron video became subject of memes on social media for more than a day, the company announced that Byron has been place on leave.

"Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days," Astronomer said in a statement on X.

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The viral video showed Byron and Cabot hugging at Coldplay's recent concert in Massachusetts. The Jumbotron put the spotlight on the pair mid-concert, creating an embarrassing moment for them as they attempted to hide their faces from the public.

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“Whoa, look at these two,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

After the clip was widely circulated on social media for over 24 hours, the New York-based company issued a statement saying the matter is being investigated.

"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 Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly," the company said on X on Friday.

The statement, issued on behalf of the Board of Directors of the company, also clarified that one of their employees, Alyssa Stoddard, was misidentified as being at the concert from the viral 'kiss cam' footage.

Bahni Bandyopadhyay

bahni@khaleejtimes.com