It was the Coldplay kiss cam moment that caused cringes around the world.
The CEO of a unicorn tech firm and his head of human resources were caught in an intimate moment on camera, which has now become a viral sensation. As a result, both executives, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, are dealing with backlash both publicly and within the workplace.
What happened at the Coldplay concert?
During a lively segment at Coldplay’s concert on Wednesday evening at Gillette Stadium near Boston, an unexpected event unfolded. The band’s camera crew often focuses on audience members, displaying them on the jumbotron while lead singer Chris Martin performs an impromptu song. On this occasion, the camera zeroed in on a cuddling couple who quickly tried to conceal their identities. Martin humorously remarked, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The video of this moment rapidly gained traction online, disclosing more than it initially seemed. The man in the footage was identified as Byron, while the woman was Cabot, the company’s HR chief. The complication? Byron is married to another person.
What is Astronomer?
Astronomer is a private data infrastructure startup that reached “unicorn” status in 2022 with a $1 billion or more evaluation.
According to the company’s LinkedIn page, “Astronomer empowers data teams to bring mission-critical analytics, AI, and software to life.”
Has Astronomer responded?
On Friday evening, Astronomer posted on X that Byron has been placed 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. pic.twitter.com/VfgWPnfycl
— Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 19, 2025
Axios reports that Cabot was also placed on leave while the company investigates the matter.
Previously, an Astronomer spokesperson told Newsweek and the New York Post that a supposed apology from Byron, which had been circulating online, was fake.
The fake apology from Byron was posted on X, with the imposter writing that they wanted to apologize to his wife, family, and colleagues, and noted, “I am a Coldplay fan. And not just of the first two albums. I also like the recent stuff.”
Another fake post, attributed to Coldplay, read: “Starting with our next show, we’re introducing camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces.”
How does a CEO scandal like this affect the workplace?
The incident creates potential legal troubles and a crisis of leadership for the company, David Rice, HR expert at People Managing People, told Entrepreneur via email.
“The big issue is the example that it sets. Obviously, a CEO should know better. But the fact that it’s with the chief people officer is even worse,” Rice wrote. “She should definitely know better, and that is going to lead to a complete mistrust in HR, no matter what happens next.”
“Both are on the hook here, and no online apology is going to make this go away,” says Rice, pointing out why companies need to have very clear HR policies about inter-office relationships and the consequences of not adhering to them.
It was the Coldplay kiss cam moment that caused cringes around the world.
The CEO of a unicorn tech company and his head of human resources were caught on camera in a not-so-work-appropriate moment that has since gone viral. Now the two executives, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, are facing public (and workplace) backlash.
What happened at the Coldplay concert?
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