A big boss at a tech company called Astronomer quit his job after a video from a Coldplay concert got super popular online. Andy Byron, who was the CEO, left on Saturday after people saw him hugging Kristin Cabot, the head of human resources, at the show. Now, everyone’s talking about it, and the company had to figure out what to do next.
What Went Down at the Concert
First, let’s go back to July 16 at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot were at a Coldplay concert when the “kiss cam” put them on the big screen. The kiss cam is when the camera picks two people and they’re supposed to kiss for everyone to see. But Byron dodged out of the way fast, and Cabot hid her face.
Chris Martin, the lead singer, made a joke and said they might be hiding something or just feeling shy. A fan named Grace Springer recorded it all and put it on TikTok. That video got over 100 million views because both Byron and Cabot are married to other people, which made it a big deal.
How the Company Handled It
Then, Astronomer, a company that works with data, stepped in to check things out. On Friday, they told Byron to take a break from his job while they investigated what happened. By Saturday, he decided to quit, and the company said okay.
Cabot is still taking a break until they finish looking into it. The company said their bosses need to act right, and this time, they didn’t. They also said that even though this made them famous fast, their work stays the same.
Who’s in Charge Now
Next, the company picked a new temporary boss. Pete DeJoy, who helped start Astronomer and runs the product team, is taking over for now. The board plans to find a new CEO to stay in charge later. Byron had been the boss since 2023, and Cabot started her job nine months ago.
This kind of thing has happened before at other places. For example, the boss of Norfolk Southern got fired last year for dating someone at work. And back in 2019, McDonald’s let their CEO go for the same reason.
What It Means for Everyone
Finally, this shows how big social media can get. One video from a concert turned into a huge story, and over 22,000 news articles popped up in just one day, according to Axios. That’s as many as really important news gets! For Astronomer, it’s tricky because they weren’t well-known before, and now people only know them for this mess. But they can bounce back if they pick a good new boss and keep doing their job well.
My Thoughts
I think this is a crazy story. It’s wild how one moment at a concert can change everything for these people and their company. Social media moves so fast, and it’s like you can’t hide anything anymore. I feel bad for Astronomer because they didn’t want all this attention. But it’s also a lesson that bosses have to be careful, even when they’re just having fun. I hope they find a new leader soon and get back to normal.
Source: BBC
