The CEO of New York-based tech company Astronomer, Andy Byron, resigned Saturday following a viral video showing him in an intimate embrace with an alleged colleague during a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The incident occurred Wednesday when concert cameras zoomed in on Byron and a woman—later identified by internet sleuths as Astronomer’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot—locked in a close embrace. The pair appeared visibly startled upon realizing they were being broadcast on the jumbotron, with Byron ducking out of frame and Cabot hiding her face.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped during the performance: “Uh-oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The clip quickly went viral, amassing millions of views on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), where users speculated about a possible workplace affair. Many mocked the irony of the company’s HR head being involved, with one X user noting: “The craziest thing about the Astronomer CEO cheating scandal is it was the HR lady. The person who would warn you against fraternizing with coworkers.”
The video spawned countless memes, including a recreation by the Philadelphia Phillies’ mascots during a baseball game. A fake apology statement attributed to Byron also circulated online but was later debunked as originating from a parody account.
Astronomer confirmed Byron’s resignation in a LinkedIn statement: “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.” The company had previously launched an internal investigation into the matter.
