advertisement
Music News

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron Steps Down Following Coldplay Concert Incident

"Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met," the IT company wrote.

Coldplay at Toronto's Rogers Stadium on July 8, 2025.
Coldplay at Toronto's Rogers Stadium on July 8, 2025.
Anna Lee

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has resigned after being seen embracing an employee on large video screens at a Coldplay concert.

During Coldplay’s show at Boston’s Gillette Stadium on Wednesday (July 16), a jumbotron captured Byron with his arms around the IT company’s chief human resources officer, Kristin Cabot, during a kiss-cam segment. Upon realizing they were on the big screen, Byron quickly ducked out of view while Cabot turned away. Both individuals are married to other people.


“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said from the stage.

In the days that followed, the video went viral on social media, quickly sparking a wave of memes and jokes about the incident. Country singer Morgan Wallen even weighed in during his concert in Glendale, Ariz., on Friday (July 18), telling the crowd that anyone attending with their “side chick” was “safe here.”

advertisement

Astronomer has since released a statement noting that Byron is stepping down as CEO and that the company is searching for his replacement, according to The Associated Press.

“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the company wrote in a statement on Saturday (July 19). “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met. 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.”

The statement continued, “Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. 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.”

advertisement

Coldplay had not released a statement about the situation at press time. But at the band’s concert in Madison, Wis., on Saturday — their first show since the kiss-cam moment — a fan held up a sign that read, “He’s not my CEO,” with an arrow pointing to the man beside her, prompting laughter from the crowd, according to TMZ.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S. Read Billboard Canada's recap of their show at Toronto's Rogers Stadium on July 8 here.

advertisement
Snoop Dogg Addresses Backlash Over ‘Lightyear’ LGBTQ+ Comments: ‘My Bad’
Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

Snoop Dogg arrives at the 2025 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Music News

Snoop Dogg Addresses Backlash Over ‘Lightyear’ LGBTQ+ Comments: ‘My Bad’

"I was just caught off guard and had no answer for my grandsons," the rapper wrote.

Snoop Dogg is speaking out after facing backlash for his recent remarks about LGBTQ+ representation in children’s movies.

On Wednesday (Aug. 27), the 53-year-old rapper addressed the controversy in the comments section of a Hollywood Unlocked Instagram post, where media personality T.S. Madison had criticized him for his reaction to a same-sex couple depicted in the 2022 animated film Lightyear.

keep readingShow less
advertisement