New York, NY – July 20, 2025 – Astronomer, a leading data orchestration platform, has announced that co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy will serve as interim CEO while current CEO Andy Byron has been placed on leave. The decision follows a viral incident at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 16, 2025, which sparked widespread speculation about Byron’s conduct.
During the concert at Gillette Stadium, a “kiss cam” captured Byron in a close embrace with Astronomer’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, prompting Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to jokingly remark, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” The footage, which showed Byron and Cabot quickly attempting to hide their faces, rapidly spread across social media platforms, amassing millions of views and fueling rumors of an inappropriate relationship. Byron, who is married, and Cabot have not publicly addressed the allegations.
Astronomer issued a statement on July 18, 2025, confirming that its Board of Directors had initiated a formal investigation into the matter. “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 company stated. It also clarified that no other employees were involved in the incident and debunked reports of a statement from Byron as fake.
On July 19, 2025, Astronomer updated its leadership announcement, stating, “Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days.” The company has not disclosed the duration of Byron’s leave or further details about the investigation.
The incident has drawn significant online attention, with social media users expressing a range of reactions, from sympathy for Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, to criticism of the executives’ behavior at a public event. Some questioned the workplace culture at Astronomer, a company valued at over $1.3 billion, known for its Astro platform that powers data pipelines for major corporations.Byron, who has served as CEO since July 2023, previously held leadership roles at Lacework, Cybereason, and Fuze. Cabot joined Astronomer in November 2024, with Byron praising her “exceptional leadership” at the time. The company has not confirmed whether Cabot has also been placed on leave.Astronomer emphasized its commitment to moving forward, stating, “Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI.” The company has not yet announced a timeline for appointing a permanent CEO.For further updates, contact Astronomer’s PR team or visit their official LinkedIn page.
