Tech company Astronomer has issued its first public response to the scandal engulfing its CEO, Andy Byron, and chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, confirming a formal board-led investigation and dismissing widespread online rumours.

The incident unfolded during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, when Byron was caught on the jumbotron with his arms around Cabot. As the camera lingered, she threw her hands over her face and turned away while he ducked out of frame – prompting frontman Chris Martin to tell the crowd, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”
By Friday morning, footage of the incident had racked up over 20 million views on TikTok and was the top-trending Google search in Australia.
The sheer velocity of the clip’s spread turned the video into a cultural flashpoint – spawning endless memes, parodies, reenactments, and mock apology posts.
On LinkedIn, users roasted Byron with Coldplay lyric puns, while Instagram and X turned the scene into a running joke about workplace affairs.
“Coldplay hasn’t released a single in years – last night they released two,” one post read.
Another user imagined the next LinkedIn post from Byron: “I got caught cheating at a Coldplay concert – here’s what it taught me about B2B sales.”
Online sleuths quickly identified the pair, both of whom subsequently took down their LinkedIn profiles.
Byron’s wife removed his surname from her Facebook account and later deleted the page after a flood of comments referencing the video.
Astronomer remained silent as the scandal escalated, eventually disabling comments on its own social media accounts.
Cabot, notably, is the only woman listed on Astronomer’s executive team. She joined in late 2024 after stints at ObserveIT, Neo4j, and Proofpoint. Byron had publicly praised her leadership at the time of her hiring.
The company’s statement on Saturday morning attempted to contain the firestorm. It followed multiple fake statements circulating – one of which had Byron trying to apologise for his alleged indiscretion with the lyrics to Coldplay hit Fix You.
It confirmed that the board of directors has launched a formal investigation and rejected claims circulating online. Specifically, Astronomer clarified that no other employees were in the video and denied rumours that a woman named Alyssa Stoddard appeared in the clip.
“Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect,” the company added.
Astronomer, backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Salesforce Ventures, moved its headquarters to New York in 2024 and closed a $93 million Series D round in May. Its valuation is estimated to exceed $1 billion.
Neither Byron nor Cabot has commented publicly.
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