Astronomer has announced a temporary replacement for CEO Andy Byron and confirmed he was put on leave in the wake of the viral Coldplay cheating scandal.
The company shared a statement confirming the news to Us Weekly on Friday, July 18.
“Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave,” the statement read. “We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days.”
Andy, 50, and Kristin Cabot were caught cuddling up to one another by the kiss cam during Coldplay’s concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, July 16. Andy, who according to multiple reports, is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, immediately dropped his arms from Cabot’s waist and ducked away from the camera when he noticed that they were on the Jumbotron, while Cabot covered her face with her hands and turned around.
“Whoa, look at these two. Alright, come on. You’re OK. Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair, or they’re very shy,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin told the audience. “I’m not quite sure what to do. Holy s***. I hope we didn’t do something bad.”
Us Weekly reached out to Astronomer, Andy and Cabot for comment.
Two days after the footage of the moment went viral, sparking countless memes, reactions from celebrities and even fake statements from the players involved, Astronomer broke its silence with a statement on Friday.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the software company’s statement, which was shared via LinkedIn, read. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
The company also confirmed that Byron, who was appointed CEO in 2023, has not “put out any statement” regarding the scandal despite speculation.
Cabot was hired to work for Astronomer in November 2024. Andy praised the human resources executive in a press release at the time.
“At Astronomer, our people are the most valuable asset in helping our customers do more to gain a competitive advantage with their data,” he said. “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory.”
He continued, “She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
Meanwhile, Cabot said she felt “energized” to work with Andy’s team.
“I prefer to think of my role as people strategy versus traditional human resources, as the real magic happens when you align the people strategy with the business strategy,” she shared in a statement. “There are plenty of companies out there where a leadership team doesn’t recognize the value that a strong people leader and people team can bring to a company. It’s not just about benefits or catered lunches. There’s so much more to it, and I was energized in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here.”
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