Astronomer: New CEO Pete DeJoy, Andy Byron replacement, breaks silence after Coldplay kiss cam scandal

Astronomer’s new interim CEO, Pete DeJoy, has broken his silence after the company’s former CEO, Andy Byron, resigned following the viral cheating scandal at a Coldplay concert.

Mr Byron’s departure came days after he and HR chief Kristin Cabot were filmed cuddling as the kiss cam focused on them during the rock band’s gig in Massachusetts, a moment that quickly spread online and drew international attention to the billion-dollar tech company.

On Monday, Mr DeJoy announced his official appointment as CEO of Astronomer on LinkedIn, enthusiastically noting that the recent events have propelled the company into the public spotlight, making it a household name.

The 30-year-old described the situation as “unusual and surreal,” adding that the level of media scrutiny Astronomer received is rare for companies operating in the data and AI sector.

“The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies—let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world—ever encounter,” he said.

“While I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.”

Mr DeJoy added that he would step into the role with a “wholehearted commitment” to take care of the company’s employees and deliver for its customers.

“Astronomer’s foundation remains strong, built around the thriving Apache Airflow community. Our opportunity to build a DataOps platform for the age of AI remains massive. And our story is very much still being written.”

He thanked his team for their resilience, adding that the company, “won’t let you down.”

The statement follows Mr Byron’s resignation on Saturday.

“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” a statement from Astronomer said.

“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.”

The New York-based company said Mr DeJoy, who is their chief product officer and co-founder, would serve as interim CEO prior to a search commencing for a replacement for Mr Byron.

The Coldplay gig was in full swing when Martin spotted the pair on the kiss cam and zeroed in on Mr Byron and Ms Cabot.

“Oh look at these two. Come on, you’re okay. Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy” Martin said to the cheering crowd.

The pair immediately released their grip and were sent ducking for cover as the realisation dawned that they had been exposed.