Andy Byron resigns from AI company Astronomer after being caught canoodling with head of HR Kristin Cabot at Coldplay concert
Andy Byron resigned Saturday as the CEO of the $1.3 billion AI company he helped found, Astronomer, just days after he was caught canoodling with his head of HR on a jumbotron at a Coldplay concert.
“As stated previously, 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, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company said in a statement Saturday.
6Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot were caught canoodling at the Coldplay concert.Grace Springer via Storyful
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.”
The company’s board could have chosen to fire Byron, leaving him with nothing, said sources who noted the resignation was likely his best course of action financially.
Byron, 50, and Kristin Cabot, 52, sparked a near-unprecedented viral storm when they were seen desperately dodging the kiss cam while cuddling at the concert near Boston Wednesday night.
During the deer-in-the-headlights moment, Cabot quickly covered her face and Byron swiftly ducked out of view.
Lead singer Chris Martin, thinking he had caught a tender moment, seemed confused before remarking, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”
By Thursday morning, the pair were identified as the high powered CEO and HR boss of a tech company.
6“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” according to Astronomer’s statement.Grace Springer via Storyful
On Friday — the same day new video emerged of Byron and Cabot locking lips and embracing at the concert — their stunning downfall accelerated, as both were both placed on leave while Astronomer said it was investigating the debacle.
Byron began negotiating an exit package after he was placed on leave Thursday, Axios reported.
And an interim CEO, company co-founder Pete DeJoy, a Brooklynite, was named.
Byron, estimated to be worth between $50 and $70 million, was paid between $469,000 and $690,000 a year, but received handsome performance-based bonuses.
Cabot’s future with the AI-driven data company remains unclear.
6Andy Byron has resigned from his position as CEO at Astronomer, according to the company’s statement.LinkedIn/Andy Byron
Astronomer will start searching for its next chief executive while DeJoy leads the company.
In a cheeky nod to the scandal, on Friday, DeJoy reportedly “liked” a LinkedIn post from Zachary Hensley — who was the vice president of technology and operations at Astronomer from 2019 to 2024 — in which Hensley admitted, “Yes, I’ve laughed at the memes.”
“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,” their Saturday statement said.
6Pete DeJoy, Astronomer’s cofounder, will serve as interim CEO as the company begins its search for a new chief executive.X/ Pete DeJoy
“While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.”
Astronomer was thriving in the months leading up to the incident, as it reportedly raised nearly $100 million from big investors and was rapidly growing.
Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan, 50, removed their shared last name from her Facebook profile before deleting it altogether after being inundated with messages about the alleged affair.
Cabot is also believed to be married to Privateer Rum owner Andrew Cabot, 60.
6Along with Andy Byron and Megan Kerrigan, Kristin Cabot and Andy Cabot were not available to comment on the ongoing situation.kristinthornby/linkedin
The couple were seen in a recent photo posing with two kids, with Kristin Cabot appearing to wear a wedding ring.
A man who answered the door at the Massachusetts home of Kerrigan’s mother angrily declined to comment Saturday, but one neighbor who knew the family praised them.
“The Kerrigans are salt of the earth, hardworking people and they don’t deserve to be dragged through the mud,” the neighbor told The Post.
Andy Byron, Megan Kerrigan, Kristin Cabot and Andy Cabot could not be reached for comment.
6A local neighbor told The Post, “The Kerrigans are salt of the earth, hardworking people and they don’t deserve to be dragged through the mud.”Bain Capital VenturesWhat do you think? Post a comment.
It’s unclear where both marriages stand in the wake of the high-profile scandal – before which, it appeared both families were living the American dream, complete with happy family photos and sprawling mansions.
Less than five months ago, Cabot and her CEO husband bought a ritzy $2.2 million abode in the seaside town of Rye, NH.
Additional reporting by Jared Downing, Lydia Moynihan and Samantha Olander
The CEO caught hugging his HR chief at a Coldplay show has been placed on leave during a formal investigationAstronomer CEO Andy Byron and his chief people officer, Kristin Cabot are being investigated by their board after after a video of them snuggled up took the internet by storm. An Astronomer spokesperson told Fortune the CEO has been placed on leave.
Astronomer, the tech company at the center of a viral internet controversy in which the married CEO embraced his chief people officer at a Coldplay concert where it was featured on a jumbotron, announced it launched a formal investigation.
The Astronomer board is digging into the conduct of CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot and will reveal additional details soon, the company posted in a statement on LinkedIn and X. In the interim, the board has placed Byron on leave, a spokesperson told Fortune, and chief product officer Pete DeJoy is serving as interim CEO in the meantime.
“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’s announcement read. “The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
The response was posted to both platforms on Friday. It received more than 700 reactions on LinkedIn almost immediately. Astronomer clarified in its post that an employee speculated to have also been at the Boston Coldplay concert with Byron and Cabot was not at the event. The company similarly refuted any alleged statements circulated online said to have been made by Byron or Astronomer as incorrect.
Byron and Cabot’s concert hug rose to internet fame and sparked widespread affair allegations on Thursday after a clip, posted on TikTok, showed the CEO holding his subordinate in his arms at the Gillette Stadium show. Byron is seen in the video clutching Cabot from behind as the pair smiles and sways in the crowd. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin can be heard saying “Oh look at these two,” as they appear on the jumbotron, only for Cabot to quickly cover her face and turn away while Byron ducks to avoid the cameras.
Martin responded to their behavior, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy” as the crowd cheered. The band played at the Boston venue on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
After the video went viral, it was revealed that Byron is legally married to Megan Kerrigan Byron. He and Kerrigan appear to have two sons. As for Cabot, public records suggest she has been married at least once. Her current marital status, however, could not be confirmed.
At many public and private companies, relationships between a CEO and another employee are prohibited because they can be viewed as coercive by their very nature. They can also disrupt morale and lead to allegations of unfair treatment.
Byron became CEO of Astonomer in 2023, whereas Cabot, according to her now-defunct LinkedIn, joined Astronomer in November 2024.
Astronomer is a private data infrastructure and operations company that achieved unicorn status in 2022 with a $1 billion or more valuation. The company recently moved its headquarters to New York City, and secured $93 million in series D funding in a round led by Bain Capital Ventures and Salesforce Ventures.
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