Company says investigation under way into footage of its workers at Coldplay gig

Incident in which two colleagues were caught embracing each other has taken internet by storm

Coldplay's Chris Martin performs on stage in Dublin last year. 
Photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times.
Coldplay's Chris Martin performs on stage in Dublin last year. Photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times.

The company at the centre of the Coldplay scandal in which its CEO was caught embracing with its chief human resources officer, has issued a statement on the matter.

More than 24 hours after a Jumbotron camera at a Coldplay concert in Boston, Massachusetts, caught Astronomer’s married CEO, Andy Byron, with his arms around the company’s HR head, Kristin Cabot, the software company has responded to the incident which has taken the internet by storm.

On X, the software start-up company said: “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. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”

It also denied rumours that another one of its employees, Alyssa Stoddard, was there, as well as denied false reports of Mr Byron issuing an apology.

“Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect,” the company said.

Both Mr Byron and Ms Cabot were immediately placed on leave, a source familiar with the situation told Axios. Additionally, Astronomer’s delayed response has partially been because of Mr Byron’s slow resignation and exit package negotiations, another source told the outlet.

Mr Byron has been the head of Astronomer since 2023. In 2024, Ms Cabot joined the company as its head of HR. In an announcement about Ms Cabot’s hiring, Mr Byron said: “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory.”

Meanwhile, in the same press release, Ms Cabot said: “I was energised in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here.” - Guardian

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