Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after Coldplay concert clip goes viral

WASHINGTON, DC: Andy Byron has stepped down from his role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of data technology firm Astronomer following the circulation of a video of him holding a woman at a Coldplay concert, reported Variety.

Online speculation suggested the woman may have been Astronomer’s Head of Human Resources, Kristin Cabot.

Following the clip going viral and garnering tens of millions of views, the Astronomer’s Board of Directors initiated a formal internal review. A company statement released on Friday confirmed Byron’s resignation.

“As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” read the statement as quoted by Variety.

“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,” as per the statement released by Astronomer, quoted by Variety.

It 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 & AI problems,” as quoted by Variety.

At a Coldplay concert Wednesday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a fan cam found Bryon with his arms around a woman. Once spotted, they quickly moved away from each other and hid their faces from the camera.

The couple was identified on social media, and the clip of them together has amassed tens of millions of views since it was posted late Wednesday.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin noticed the couple’s odd reaction on the arena’s jumbotron. As they ducked away, Martin joked, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

If reports are to be believed, Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, and the couple resides in New York. (ANI)