Data firm Astronomer appears to be turning a challenging situation into an opportunity by bringing on Gwyneth Paltrow as a “temporary spokesperson” to address inquiries following a viral “kiss cam” incident.
The spotlight was on the company after online investigators identified its CEO and chief people officer as the pair caught on camera sharing an embrace and then concealing their faces during a July 16 Coldplay concert. Following the incident, both executives have stepped down.
Paltrow appeared in a television-style spot on Astronomer’s social media on Friday making a pitch for the company’s everyday strengths.
“Astronomer has faced numerous questions in recent days, and they’ve asked me to address the most frequent ones,” stated Paltrow, who separated from Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin in 2014.
Paltrow cut off a question that started with “OMG!” to emphatically say, “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow.”
“We’ve been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,” she added.
She interrupted another question — “How is your social media team holding …” — to make a pitch for an Astronomer conference in September.
Paltrow concluded, “We will now be returning to what we do best — delivering game-changing results for our customers.”
CEO Andy Byron resigned on July 19, and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot followed on Thursday, according to statements from the company.
Their body language after the camera captured them in an embrace led Martin to remark on stage, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Astronomer said afterward it was investigating the incident. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” it said on July 18.
The company confirmed Thursday that Cabot was the woman in the video. Neither she nor Byron have responded to requests for comment.
Astronomer, a New York-based company, helps companies develop, grow, and analyze products using artificial intelligence.
Madison Lambert and Anna Sundberg contributed.
