By Joy Musa
In a stunning turn of events, Andy Byron has resigned from his role as CEO of Astronomer, a leading tech firm in the DataOps sector, following public backlash over a viral kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert in Boston.
The video, which captured Byron and Astronomer’s Head of HR, Kristin Cabot, sharing an intimate moment, circulated widely on social media, prompting criticism and scrutiny over the CEO’s conduct. In response, Astronomer released a formal statement announcing Byron’s resignation and affirming the company’s commitment to professional integrity and leadership accountability.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the statement read. “Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.”
Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy has been named interim CEO as the company begins the search for its next chief executive. Despite the viral scandal, Astronomer emphasized that its operations remain unaffected and its mission unchanged.
“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.”
In addition to the resignation, Astronomer confirmed it has launched an internal probe into the incident to assess any violations of company policy.
This story continues to unfold as industry insiders and tech watchers keep a close eye on Astronomer’s next steps.
