Kristin Cabot, Chief People Officer at Astronomer, resigned after a viral video showed her with CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert. Both were allegedly married to other people, leading to public criticism and an internal inquiry.
More than a week after a video went viral showing her in a passionate embrace with CEO Andy Byron during a Coldplay performance, Kristin Cabot, the Chief People Officer at tech company Astronomer, formally resigned from her role. Due to intense public criticism following the widely reported event captured on the stadium's kiss camera, Byron resigned earlier this week.
Astronomer confirmed Cabot's departure in a brief statement, simply saying, “Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer, she has resigned”.
What Happened At Coldplay Concert?
The uproar started when the kiss cam panned in on Cabot and Byron, who are both allegedly married to other people, enjoying a private moment during a Coldplay show at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin's light-hearted on-stage comment, "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy," added to their shocked response as they tried to hide from the camera. As soon as the video became online, it sparked a flurry of rumours and condemnation.
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After the initial uproar, Astronomer had put both Cabot and Byron on leave and launched an internal inquiry.
Announcing Andy Byron’s resignation, Astronomer said in a statement, "Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.” Days before Cabot's announcement, Andy Byron resigned as CEO, and Pete DeJoy, the company's co-founder and chief product officer, took over as temporary CEO.
Cabot joined Astronomer in November 2024 and was in charge of staff engagement, culture, and human resources. Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot have not openly addressed the incident in a public statement.
The US-based business "is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," Astronomer stated in a statement responding to the controversy. Our leaders are supposed to set the bar for responsibility and behaviour, and recently, they failed to do so. Based in New York, Astronomer offers large corporations a platform that facilitates data organisation.
