What began last week as a feel-good kiss-cam moment at Coldplayโs sold-out Foxborough concert has now toppled the head of a fast-growing AI company. Astronomer confirmed CEO Andy Byron resigned after a viral clip captured him embracing Kristin Cabot, the firmโs chief people officer โ who, like Byron, is reportedly married.
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Smiles To Shock In Seconds
Mid-set on 16 July, Gillette Stadiumโs camera crew lingered on a grey-haired man gently swaying with a woman beside him. Their smiles evaporated the moment they realised they were on the stadiumโs big screen; she hid her face while he ducked behind a railing. โEither theyโre having an affair or theyโre just very shy,โ observed front-man Chris Martin dryly โ a line that has since echoed across millions of reposts on X, TikTok, and Instagram.
Internet sleuths quickly identified the pair as Byron, 44, and Cabot, who reports directly to him. Allegations of an office romance โ and, by extension, a breach of workplace ethics โ exploded within hours.
Fakes Pile Up
The company spent the following days combating misinformation. A polished โapologyโ attributed to Byron and a fabricated Coldplay social-media post promising โcamera-free sections for side-piecesโ were both exposed as fakes โ debunked by the company and fact-checking tools alike. Meanwhile, an unrelated victim emerged: Andy Byron, an Irish creative director, was inadvertently doxxed and forced to clarify his mistaken identity.
Corporate Cleanup
In a statement on Astronomerโs LinkedIn, its board said it had accepted Byronโs resignation and named co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy as interim CEO while a formal search begins.
โOur leaders must set the standard in conduct and accountability โ a standard recently unmet,โ the board stated, adding that despite the โovernightโ shift in public attention, the company remains focused on solving data and AI challenges.
Byronโs LinkedIn profile has been deactivated, and his name scrubbed from Astronomerโs leadership page. Cabotโs status with the firm remains unaddressed.
The Frame-by-Frame Obsession
Why canโt the internet look away? In part, itโs the thrill: unlike tragedies or political scandals, this tale revolves around alleged infidelity โ salacious yet largely consequence-free for the wider public. Adding to this is a power-imbalance narrative; Byron, a white male tech CEO whose start-up recently achieved unicorn status, neatly fits the role of elite villain for audiences weary of corporate excess. Ultimately, the drama invites real-time detective work, as users pause, zoom, and dissect every frame of the concert clip while scouring LinkedIn for clues โ turning the affair into a participatory mystery.
Whatโs Next?
Astronomer states it is โaddressing the matter internallyโ and maintains no authentic apology from Byron exists. Coldplay has offered no comment beyond Martinโs initial on-stage jab. Byronโs wife has apparently deleted her social-media presence, while at least one LinkedIn post lauding Cabotโs HR expertise has vanished without trace.
The door remains open for further resignations, but the kiss-cam clip has already secured its place as one of 2025โs defining viral firestorms โ fresh evidence of how quickly private moments can morph into public corporate crises in the age of social media.
Catherine Pun
A Hong Kong native with Filipino-Chinese roots, Catherine infuses every part of her life with zest, whether sheโs belting out karaoke tunes or exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations. Her downtime often includes unwinding with Netflix and indulging in a 10-step skincare routine. As the Editorial Director of Friday Club., Catherine brings her wealth of experience from major publishing houses, where she refined her craft and even authored a book. Her sharp editorial insight makes her a dynamic force, always on the lookout for the next compelling narrative.
