BOSTON, July 21, 2025 – A viral video from a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium on July 16, 2025, has sparked widespread online speculation, mistakenly dragging Alyssa Stoddard, Senior Director of People at Astronomer, into a public controversy. Initially identified by internet sleuths as the “embarrassed woman” reacting to a kiss cam moment involving Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, Stoddard was later confirmed by the company to not have been present at the event.
The video, which captured Byron and Cabot in an intimate embrace during the concert’s kiss cam segment, quickly spread across platforms like TikTok and X, amassing millions of views. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s quip, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” fueled speculation about an alleged affair, given Byron’s marriage to Megan Kerrigan Byron and Cabot’s recent divorce. Amid the frenzy, a woman seen reacting with a smile in the footage was wrongly identified as Stoddard, prompting comments on X such as, “The woman next to them is Alyssa Stoddard, Sr. Director of People at Astronomer. Imagine your whole HR department getting blown up at a Coldplay concert.”Astronomer issued a statement on July 18, clarifying, “Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video.” The company emphasized that Stoddard, recently promoted to Vice President of People by Cabot, was not involved in the incident. A representative told Page Six, “Alyssa was not there. There may be some similarities in the countenance of the person, but it’s not [her].”
Stoddard, who joined Astronomer in January 2025, has a robust background in human resources. According to her LinkedIn profile, she previously served as an HR Business Partner at Proofpoint, People Strategy Manager at ObserveIT, and held roles at Neo4j. She has also been a board member at the Little Sparks Project. Her professional relationship with Cabot spans multiple companies, including ObserveIT (2019), Proofpoint (2019–2021), and Neo4j, before both joined Astronomer in 2024. Despite online speculation that Stoddard’s reaction in the video suggested prior knowledge of an alleged affair, no evidence supports these claims.
The viral moment has led to significant fallout for Astronomer. Both Byron and Cabot have been placed on leave pending an internal investigation by the company’s Board of Directors. Co-founder Pete DeJoy has been appointed interim CEO. The company has also debunked false reports of a public apology from Byron, stating, “Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
The incident has sparked broader discussions about workplace ethics and executive conduct, with Stoddard’s misidentification highlighting the speed and inaccuracy of online speculation. Astronomer continues to navigate the public relations crisis as the investigation unfolds, with no further details released as of July 21, 2025.
