Andy Byron, a married CEO, issued a statement after being caught with an employee at a Coldplay concert
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Executive summary
Andy Byron, the then-CEO of Astronomer, resigned after a widely shared video showed him embracing the company’s chief people officer at a Coldplay concert, but he did not issue a verified personal statement after the clip went viral; Astronomer and multiple news outlets said alleged statements circulating online were fake and that Byron had not released a personal comment [1] [2] [3]. The company placed him on leave and launched a formal investigation before the board accepted his resignation, while the woman in the video, Kristin Cabot, has since publicly described the encounter as a single, alcohol-fueled lapse in judgment [1] [4] [5].
1. What happened at the concert and how it became a corporate crisis
A clip from Coldplay’s July concert in Foxborough showed Byron and Astronomer’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot, in an intimate embrace on the Jumbotron; they recoiled and tried to hide when they realized they’d been broadcast, a moment Coldplay’s lead singer quipped about and social media quickly amplified into a viral phenomenon [6] [7]. Within days Astronomer announced it had placed the CEO on administrative leave and opened a formal investigation into the incident, noting the episode did not meet the company’s standards of conduct [1] [4].
2. Did Andy Byron issue a statement? — the evidence on authenticity
News organizations and the company reported that no verified personal statement from Byron had been released and that some statements circulating online attributed to him were false; Astronomer explicitly told media that an alleged Byron statement “was not real” and that Mr. Byron had not issued a personal comment [4] [2]. Major outlets also noted Byron declined interview requests, with the BBC and others saying they could not independently confirm any personal remarks from him [6] [2].
3. Corporate actions and Byron’s professional outcome
Following the viral attention, Astronomer confirmed Byron tendered his resignation and that the board accepted it, naming cofounder Pete DeJoy as interim CEO while a search for a successor began; the company framed its response as upholding expected standards of conduct and accountability [1] [6]. The leadership shakeup followed the internal probe and media scrutiny and occurred alongside Cabot’s own departure from the company, which both she and sources say followed intense public backlash [1] [8].
4. The other side: Kristin Cabot’s account and unresolved personal details
Cabot has since spoken to multiple outlets saying the Kiss Cam moment was a one-time mistake, describing alcohol’s role and calling it a “bad decision,” while also recounting threats and family fallout that followed the viral exposure; she told reporters she and Byron were in contact briefly after the incident but have had minimal contact since [5] [7] [8]. Reporting also notes differing private circumstances: several sources say both were separated from spouses at the time, and outlets report that Byron has been photographed with his wife since the incident, though neither party has publicly confirmed a change in marital status in the press pieces provided [9] [10].
5. Misinformation, optics and lessons for leaders
The episode is a compact case study in how viral moments can cascade into corporate and reputational crises, with rapid misinformation compounding the damage: fake statements attributed to Byron circulated widely, forcing the company to correct the record, and the rush of social judgement amplified personal safety risks and career consequences for both people in the clip [2] [5]. Alternatives exist in interpreting the fallout — some sources and friends argue the resignations were an overcorrection and that public shaming exaggerated what they call a single lapse, while others say leaders are rightly held to higher standards when private conduct bleeds into workplace dynamics [8] [3].