Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after Coldplay kiss cam outs ‘affair’; company says, ‘Our leaders are…’

Andy Byron, CEO of DataOps firm Astronomer, has resigned days after being caught on video in an intimate moment with the company’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot, at a Coldplay concert.

The incident, which was caught on a kiss cam after a Coldplay show, prompted swift public reaction and internal scrutiny, which finally resulted in Byron’s departure.

The company confirmed the resignation in an official statement released on Saturday. The statement is as follows:

The company’s official statement

“As stated previously, Astronomer is 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.

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.”

Interim CEO Announced

Additionally, the company announced that Andy Byron has been placed on leave, and Pete DeJoy, co-founder and Chief Product Officer, will serve as interim CEO.

 A video of Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot performing during a Coldplay event has garnered a lot of attention and prompted questions about appropriate behavior. Byron was seen embracing Cabot from behind in a “kiss cam” incident.

When shown on a large screen, the two tried to hide their faces and shield themselves. The video swiftly went viral on the internet, igniting speculation and backlash.