Astronomer CEO resigns after kiss cam moment at Coldplay concert

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Andy Byron, the CEO of data operations startup Astronomer, has officially resigned following a viral social media incident that sparked intense public attention. 

The controversy began when Byron, who is married, was caught on a “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert with his arms around Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s Chief People Officer. 

As soon as they noticed the camera, the two quickly pulled apart, prompting Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to joke, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

The moment, captured on video, exploded online. 

According to Axios, over 22,000 news articles were published in just 24 hours following the incident, with 9,000 of those specifically about Byron. 

The clip quickly became meme material and drew widespread attention, with media outlets like 404 Media using the event to comment on the intense scrutiny of individuals in the age of social media.

In the days after the video went viral, Astronomer placed both Byron and Cabot on leave. On Friday, the company issued a public statement confirming Byron’s resignation. 

Pete DeJoy, the company’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer, has stepped in as interim CEO while the board looks for a permanent replacement. Cabot’s status remains on leave.

Astronomer, which recently raised $93 million in Series D funding in May, acknowledged the incident in a longer public statement. 

“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company said. 

They also emphasized that while the company has been thrust into the spotlight for unexpected reasons, its mission and products remain unchanged. 

“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space,” the statement continued. 

“While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.”

The company now faces the challenge of refocusing public attention on its core business while navigating the fallout from a very public personal moment.

Do you think a CEO should resign over a viral personal moment like this? Or has social media outrage culture gone too far when it affects people’s professional lives? Tell us below in the comments, or reach us via our Twitter or Facebook.