Andy Byron, CEO of New York-based data infrastructure company Astronomer, has resigned following a viral incident at a Coldplay concert that prompted significant scrutiny over executive conduct and corporate governance.
The company confirmed the resignation in a formal statement issued Saturday, stating Byron had “failed to meet the company’s standards in conduct and accountability.”
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” according to the official statement.
The move comes just days after footage from the July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, showed Byron on the venue’s jumbotron “kiss cam” embracing Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s Chief People Officer. The moment, captured and widely circulated across TikTok and other platforms, has garnered more than 45 million views, propelling Astronomer into the global spotlight for reasons unrelated to its core business.
Public Moment, Private Fallout
The footage from the concert showed Byron wrapping his arms around Cabot from behind. When the pair realized they were being displayed on the venue’s screen, Cabot covered her face while Byron ducked out of view. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin reacted onstage, telling the crowd: “Oh, look at these two. All right, c’mon. You’re okay… Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Later in the show, Martin added: “Holy s—. I hope we didn’t do something bad.”
While Astronomer did not immediately confirm the identities of those in the video, online speculation escalated quickly. Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, reportedly changed her Facebook profile name and later deactivated her account following an onslaught of comments. The company addressed rumors and misinformation in a LinkedIn statement, clarifying that “Byron has not put out any statement” and that other individuals seen in circulated footage were misidentified. “Reports saying otherwise are all incorrect,” the company wrote.
Cabot, who joined Astronomer in November 2024, had previously been commended by Byron for her “exceptional leadership and deep expertise” in internal communications. She is currently on administrative leave pending a formal investigation.
Corporate Response and Broader Implications
Astronomer initially placed Byron on leave while its board launched a formal investigation. In its July 19 update on X (formerly Twitter), the company confirmed his resignation, naming co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy as interim CEO. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company reiterated.
The company’s Saturday statement also addressed the unusual public spotlight now cast on the firm: “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.”
Byron’s LinkedIn profile is no longer public, and he has been removed from the company’s leadership webpage, though he remains listed as a board member.
Who is Andy Byron?
Prior to leading Astronomer, Byron built a lengthy career in the technology sector spanning more than two decades. According to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile, Byron graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island and held various executive roles across the industry. From 2019 to 2022, he served as president of cloud security firm Lacework before assuming the CEO role at Astronomer in 2023.
Astronomer is best known for its Astro platform, a data orchestration and observability tool aimed at streamlining data pipeline operations. The company describes its mission as helping customers “build, run and observe data pipelines that just work, all from one place.”
Described by a former colleague in a now-removed LinkedIn endorsement as “a highly inspirational, motivational and experienced sales professional,” Byron’s professional image was sharply challenged by the events of the past week.
Following the viral incident, Byron deleted his LinkedIn profile entirely. His wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, also removed her Facebook presence after users flooded her profile with comments ranging from expressions of sympathy to mockery.