After a viral incident at a Coldplay concert, Kristin Cabot, the chief people officer at the US tech company Astronomer, resigned. The aforementioned video, which has been extensively circulated on social media, featured a man and a woman—possibly coworkers—embracing on the jumbo screen of the arena before swiftly scuttling away and attempting to avoid attention.
Chris Martin, the frontman of Coldplay, was seen on camera saying to the audience, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy,” which sparked a lot of online conjecture. The video, which received millions of views, swiftly gained popularity as a meme and was featured in television parodies and mainstream media. US media identified the people in the video as Cabot and Andy Byron, the company’s then-CEO, although the BBC has not independently confirmed their identities.
Without specifically mentioning the viral video, the astronomer announced an internal investigation in response to the increasing online attention. Byron was put on leave shortly after, and the company officially announced his resignation the following day. Both of the alleged participants in the incident have now departed the company following Cabot’s departure.
Pete DeJoy, co-founder and chief product officer of Astronomer, a company that specialises in data, analytics, and artificial intelligence solutions, was appointed as the company’s interim CEO. “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,” DeJoy said in a company update, acknowledging the unexpected media attention.
He also mentioned that the company became a “household name” overnight and underlined that Astronomer is still committed to its goal in spite of the unanticipated publicity. Additionally, DeJoy reiterated the company’s dedication to creating a robust and resilient organisation in the future.
The incident has demonstrated how, in the digital age, a moment captured on camera—no matter how fleeting or unclear—can quickly spiral out of control, particularly when paired with conjecture and viral dissemination.