The CEO was seen embracing his firm's HR director at a Coldplay concert. Video / Supplied
A chief executive caught in a suspected affair with a colleague at a Coldplay concert has been put under investigation by his company.
Astronomer, a New York-based data company, said its directors had begun a “formal investigation” after Andy Byron, the company’s chief executive officer, was filmed with his armsdraped over Kristin Cabot, its HR director, on a “kiss cam”.
When the pair appeared on camera, Cabot covered her face and the pair ducked out of sight, prompting Chris Martin, the band’s singer, to suggest they were either “having an affair” or were “very shy”.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” Astronomer said in a statement.
“The board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
Earlier reports had suggested that a woman standing next to the pair in the footage was a colleague who works on Cabot’s team at Astronomer.
However, in their statement, Astronomer said no other employees were at the event or in the video. They also stipulated Byron had not put out any statement regarding the incident.
The board at Astronomer has initiated a formal investigation into the "kiss cam" incident, emphasising leadership conduct and accountability. Photo / TikTok
After the incident, concert-goers shared videos of the incident online and footage of the moment racked up millions of views on TikTok.
Social media users were then quick to identify the two individuals. Byron is believed to be married, while reports have suggested Cabot divorced in 2022.
On her LinkedIn profile, she describes herself as “an influential leader and fearless change-agent, I lead by example and win trust with employees of all levels”.
Reports said that a woman understood to be Byron’s wife had changed her last name on her Facebook account. Byron has since deleted his LinkedIn profile.
Andy Byron has been CEO at Astronomer for two years. Photo / LinkedIn
Byron has led the American software company Astronomer for two years according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he held a string of jobs at other US firms.
Cabot, meanwhile, joined the company in 2024 as the chief people officer. At the time, Byron described her as “a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer”.
At the time, Cabot said that she was “energised in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here”.
The incident comes just months after Astronomer raised US$93 million ($155.6m) from investors. The company itself is said to be valued at around US$1 billion.
In an appearance on the New York Stock Exchange’s live TV channel, Byron said this would fuel its growth into “hopefully a really big, meaningful company”, adding it had plans to expand into Europe and Asia.
A fake statement from Byron has been circulating online after the incident, asking for privacy and appearing to blame Coldplay for the incident. Astronomer said this statement is false.
