Astronomer, the company at the center of the Coldplay scandal in which its CEO was caught canoodling with its chief human resources officer, has finally issued a statement on the matter.
More than 24 hours after a Jumbotron camera at a Coldplay concert in Boston, Massachusetts, caught the software company’s married CEO, Andy Byron, with his arms around the company’s HR head, Kristin Cabot, Astronomer has responded to the incident which has taken the internet by storm.
On X, the software startup 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 rumors that another one of its employees, Alyssa Stoddard, was there, as well as denied false reports of 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 Byron and Cabot were immediately placed on leave, a source familiar with the situation told Axios. Additionally, Astronomer’s delayed response has partially been because of Byron’s slow resignation and exit package negotiations, another source told the outlet.
Byron has been the head of Astronomer since 2023. In 2024, Cabot joined the company as its head of HR. In an announcement about Cabot’s hiring, 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, Cabot said: “I was energised in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here.”