Astronomer CEO Resigns After Viral Coldplay Concert Incident

BOSTON, Massachusetts — Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned on Saturday following a viral moment at a Coldplay concert earlier this week. The company announced his resignation in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Byron’s decision came after footage from the concert circulated on TikTok, showing him and Kristin Cabot, the company’s head of human resources, sharing an embrace and hiding when they realized they were on the stadium’s ‘kiss cam.’ The video quickly gained traction, reaching nearly 9 million views on TikTok and becoming a popular meme.

“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” the company stated. It also mentioned that Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy will take over as interim CEO while the search for a new leader begins.

Earlier on Friday, Astronomer indicated they were investigating the situation. They noted that despite the unexpected publicity, their commitment to their customers and products remains unchanged. “Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,” the company explained.

As brands publicly chimed in on the incident, some saw it as a marketing opportunity, using the humorous moment to connect with audiences.