Astronomer's Interim CEO Reacts After Ex-Employee Says He 'Laughed at the Memes' Over Viral Video of Alleged Affair

As the internet turned a fleeting concert moment into a global memeable sensation, the company at the center issued a formal response, while a former employee's post quietly caught the attention of its interim CEO.

Over the weekend, Astronomer announced that their CEO, Andy Byron, had resigned after a video showing his alleged affair with their Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, at a Coldplay concert went viral. Soon after, a former employee's reflective post drew quiet acknowledgment from interim CEO Pete DeJoy, hinting at how the business is handling the sudden attention.

In a LinkedIn statement, the company confirmed Andy Byron's resignation, explaining that the leaders at their company were expected to uphold the "standard in both conduct and accountability" — a standard it acknowledged was not met in this case.

The Board of Directors accepted the decision and began searching for a replacement, while the cofounder and Chief Product Officer, Pete DeJoy, took over as interim CEO.

Astronomer also acknowledged the attention they had received due to this incident, noting that until now, they had simply been an enterprise focused on the DataOps field to assist teams with analytics and artificial intelligence.

"While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not," they wrote. "We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems."

This statement received nearly 10,000 likes and several reposts, though the Astronomer account disabled the comments section.

Meanwhile, another LinkedIn post over the weekend attracted attention. It was from former Astronomer employee Zachary Hensley, who described how surreal things had felt since the video went viral.

Thanks to the memes, he had reconnected with several old colleagues and felt a "mix of pride, nostalgia, and whiplash" over this situation. Still, he refused to comment on what happened or the people involved. Instead, he defended the company and its current employees.

Hensley, now the president at a company called Livegistics, explained that after joining Astronomer in 2019, he had been in a variety of roles, from sales ops to Hr ops, even security and platform engineering.

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done; but it was also the most rewarding stretch of my life," he continued. "We built something pretty rad during those years. [...] but we also built a team that cared deeply for one another."

He went on to describe some of the accomplishments of the team, including how they pulled through difficult times, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, by supporting each other.

Although he left Astronomer in 2024, Hensley said he still knows people there who care about all the employees, products, and customers.

"So, yes, I've laughed at the memes. But I also know Astronomer is more than one moment or one person. It's a team of smart, kind, driven people doing incredible work. And I'll always be rooting for them," he finished. "To the Astronomer crew—past and present—I love y'all. Keep going. Keep building. You've got this."

The post garnered over 400 likes and several comments from Hensleys' LinkedIn network. Yet, one reaction stood out: Dejoy liked it. He didn't leave a comment, but a few people tagged him, with some even saying that choosing him as CEO was a wise idea.

Meanwhile, another subtle reaction regarding this incident attracted a ton of attention over the weekend. As previously reported, Chris Martin decided to tread carefully, but not without humor, after the viral kiss cam moment from the Coldplay concert on July 16, 2025.

During the band's July 19 stop at Madison Square Garden, the frontman issued a warning, acknowledging the controversy without naming names.

"We'd like to say hello to some of you in the crowd. How we're gonna do that is we're gonna use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen," he told concertgoers.

With a wry smile, he added, "So, please, if you haven't done your makeup, do your makeup now." The moment has been shared widely on TikTok.

While he didn't directly reference the incident, the subtext was clear to many fans, especially those who'd seen the now-infamous video from Coldplay's show at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

In that clip, posted by TikTok user @instaagraace, Byron and Cabot were caught on the stadium's kiss cam.

Byron had his arms wrapped around Cabot from behind, while she rested her hands on his. The moment seemed sweet until they noticed the camera. Cabot quickly covered her face, while Byron ducked out of frame, visibly startled.

Watching the scene unfold on the big screen from the stage, Martin initially said, "Look at these two," in a light and friendly tone. But as the couple's demeanor shifted, his voice did too, "Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."

Though Martin remained silent about the couple during the Madison Square Garden show, his subtle comment about fans doing their makeup wasn't lost on the crowd or the internet.

A second video from the July 19 performance was captioned, "Coldplay Chris Martin did not mention the CEO at the Madison show following Boston last week. He did give much of a warning to fans, and reccomended [sic] they do their makeup if they haven't already… makes me wonder why the CEO and CPO thought maybe we shouldn't hug right now."

As the moment continues to gain traction online, the conversation has stretched far beyond TikTok. On a Facebook post featuring the moment, one Facebooker commented, "He will not be laughing once he get [sic]sued by that 'couple'… they are going to win millions…" while another added, "Quit already. Coldplay's biggest moment at the expense of others and their families. So wrong."

But a third supported Martin's approach, "He was very professional about it. You can tell he does not want to cause any more drama." The backlash wasn't universal, though.

On Instagram, opinions were more mixed. "Seriously? I think everyone is aware at this point lol," one person said, seemingly brushing off the criticism.

However, not everyone agreed with the lighthearted approach. "It's not funny. Really," another commenter said. Netizens on Reddit also joined the fray, with one remarking bluntly, "Little too late for that," while another defended Martin's wit, writing simply, "He's hilarious."

One netizen captured the broader sentiment, noting, "I love the audience reaction to this announcement. This whole thing has gotten so big on social media!"

For Coldplay, the moment has added an unexpected layer of conversation to their tour, but a public reckoning for Byron and Cabot.