New Astronomer CEO breaks silence after 'unusual and surreal' 'kiss cam' moment

The Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, 48, took to the stage at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday, days after Astronomer chief, Andy Byron, was caught embracing a colleague on camera during the band's Boston show.

The 'kiss cam' saw Mr Byron and his HR head Kristin Cabot appear on the stadium's jumbotron, with the pair - who are each thought to be married to different partners - seen ducking and twisting out of view as their "affair" was broadcast to the entire stadium.

Pete DeJoy has stepped into the CEO role after the scandal.

He wrote on LinkedIn that the viral moment had brought "a level of media attention that few companies - let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world - ever encounter".

"The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name."

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Mr DeJoy added that the company "never shied away from challenges".

"And yet, we’re still here.

"We’re here because Astronomer is built by people who live to solve hard problems, stay late to fix what’s broken, and care deeply about doing things the right way.

"We’re here because our customers trust us with their most ambitious data & AI projects. And, most importantly, we’re here because the mission is bigger than any one moment."

Now, Coldplay appear to be giving audiences advanced warning that they might end up featured on screens at the show.

"We'd like to say hello to some of you in the crowd," Martin said at the first concert since the incident.

"How we're going to do that is we're going to use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen."

It comes after a video of the pair went viral online, with o show the CEO and another senior member of staff embracing at a Coldplay concert went viral.

Astronomer chief executive, Andy Byron, tendered his resignation to board members over the weekend following the on-screen moment.

"Oh look at these two!" Chris Martin said mischievously as the pair appeared on the screen, with the HR chief spinning around and the CEO ducking to avoid the camera.

"Oh what? Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy," quipped Chris Martin.

The firm launched a formal investigation into the incident, saying in a statement that its leaders are "expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.

"Byron had reportedly been CEO of software company Astronomer, which is believed to be worth more than £1billion, since July 2023.

In a statement announcing Mr Byron's departure, the company said: “Our leaders are expected to set the standard… and recently, that standard was not met.”

Ms Cabot has been placed on leave.

The footage of the incident, originally shared on TikTok, has been seen by millions since appearing online earlier this week.