Astronomer HR head, caught on Coldplay kiss-cam with CEO, resigns
What's the story
Kristin Cabot, the Chief People Officer at US tech firm Astronomer, has resigned from her position. The move comes after she was seen embracing the company's former CEO Andy Byron on Coldplay's "kiss-cam." The incident took place during a concert near Boston, Massachusetts, on July 16 and went viral online.
Company statement
Astronomer announced an internal investigation
Following the incident, Astronomer announced an internal investigation without directly mentioning the viral video. The company said its CEO would be on leave until the probe concluded. Just days after this announcement, Byron resigned from his position. Critics had also raised concerns over potential conflict-of-interest issues with Cabot's romantic involvement with the CEO as she was responsible for establishing workplace conduct standards as HR head.
Transition
Pete DeJoy has stepped in as the interim CEO
Cabot's exit comes after Byron's resignation. She joined Astronomer in November 2024, having previously worked at Neo4j, ObserveIT, and ProofPoint. Astronomer co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy has stepped in as the interim CEO. The company acknowledged that its public perception changed overnight due to this incident but assured that "our product and our work for our customers have not."