Data technology firm Astronomer confirms the resignation of CEO Andy Byron following the circulation of a viral video showing him with a woman at a Coldplay concert, prompting an internal review and public scrutiny.
Washington DC [US], July 20: Andy Byron, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of data technology firm Astronomer, has resigned from his position following the widespread circulation of a video showing him holding a woman during a Coldplay concert, according to Variety.
The incident occurred during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where a fan cam captured Byron with his arms around a woman. As soon as they were spotted on the arena’s jumbotron, both individuals moved away quickly and attempted to hide their faces. The clip went viral, amassing tens of millions of views on social media.
Speculation online suggested that the woman could be Kristin Cabot, Head of Human Resources at Astronomer. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, noticing the pair’s reaction on the jumbotron, quipped, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Following the uproar, Astronomer’s Board of Directors launched an internal review into the matter. On Friday, the company issued an official statement confirming Byron’s resignation.
“As stated previously, Astronomers are committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. 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 company stated.
The statement further added, “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 & AI problems.”
Reports suggest that Andy Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron and the couple resides in New York. However, the viral video has fueled widespread speculation and discussions online about Byron’s conduct.