Astronomer CEO Andy Byron Resigns After Viral Video of Him and HR Head on Concert Jumbotron

This article was originally published  by The Epoch Times: Astronomer CEO Andy Byron Resigns After Viral Video of Him and HR Head on Concert Jumbotron

The company’s board of directors accepted Byron’s resignation on July 19.

Andy Byron has officially stepped down as CEO of Astronomer, a New York-based data software company, after a widely circulated video from a Coldplay concert drew scrutiny over his conduct with a company executive.

The company’s board of directors accepted Byron’s resignation on Saturday and announced that cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy will serve as interim CEO. A formal search for Byron’s permanent replacement is underway.

“As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the company said in an official statement. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”

The resignation comes days after a video surfaced from a Thursday Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, showing a man and woman, identified by online users as Byron and Astronomer’s Head of Human Resources Kristin Cabot, embracing each other in the audience before quickly pulling apart upon noticing themselves on the venue’s jumbotron.

The moment, captured during a segment where Coldplay frontman Chris Martin improvises lyrics about audience members shown on screen, quickly spread online. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Martin quipped onstage. He later expressed concern over the unintended consequences of the remark: “I hope we didn’t do something bad.”

Both Byron and Cabot were married to other people when the video captured them engaging in what appeared to be a romantic embrace.

The company first launched an internal investigation into the matter on Friday. According to Astronomer, the move came in response to the viral video and its potential implications regarding leadership conduct within the organization.

While speculation about an alleged affair circulated online, Astronomer issued a clarification denying that Byron had released any personal statement in response to the incident. “Andy Byron has not put out any statement,” the company said. “Reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”

Astronomer, which describes itself as a pioneer in the DataOps space, develops software platforms to help organizations manage data workflows and deploy artificial intelligence solutions. The company acknowledged that while public awareness of its brand may have changed following the viral moment, its work remains unchanged.

“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,” the company said. “While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.”

Byron has not responded to media inquiries regarding his resignation or the circumstances surrounding the video. As of Friday, both his and Cabot’s LinkedIn pages appeared deactivated or unavailable.

The venue, Gillette Stadium, includes a disclaimer on its privacy policy stating that visitors’ images may be captured or broadcast during public events. Coldplay has not issued a formal comment on the matter.

Astronomer remains a privately held company and has not announced a timeline for appointing a permanent CEO.

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