Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has resigned, the company announced in a statement on Saturday. His departure follows the “Coldplay kiss cam” scandal involving the company’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot.
Astronomer’s Official Statement
“As stated previously, 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, and recently, that standard was not met.
Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.
Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI.
While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.”
The Byron-Cabot Scandal
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was captured on a kiss cam hugging Kristin Cabot, the company’s head of HR, from behind during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, earlier this week. The moment quickly went viral on social media, sparking speculation of an alleged affair.
It soon emerged that Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan, while Cabot is married to Andrew Cabot, the CEO of Privateer Rum.
Following the incident, both Byron and Cabot were placed on administrative leave. In its first public statement, Astronomer emphasized its commitment to its foundational values and culture.
The company added, “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
