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Andy Byron, the CEO of tech company Astronomer, has been placed on leave after a video of him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert went viral this week.
The company announced Friday night that Pete DeJoy, Astronomer’s cofounder and chief product officer, will serve as interim CEO.
The incident gained widespread attention after Byron was spotted on a Jumbotron screen at a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on Wednesday.
The video showed him embracing Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief people officer, who oversees human resources.
When the camera focused on them during “The Jumbotron Song,” the pair quickly separated and attempted to hide their faces, prompting a quip from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin about them “having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Company Initiates Formal Investigation
Astronomer, a New York-based company, addressed the matter in a LinkedIn statement earlier on Friday.
The company stated, “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.” It added that its board of directors “has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
The statement also sought to correct misinformation circulating online since the video’s release, including the misidentification of a third person in the clip and a fake X (formerly Twitter) account claiming to have a statement from Byron.
The Jumbotron video rapidly gained traction online, with internet users quickly identifying Byron and Cabot.
The incident has since inspired numerous memes and comedic videos across social media platforms.
