Astronomer CEO resigns following Coldplay concert scandal

Andy Byron, the startup enforcement astatine the halfway of an bonzer societal media furor, has resigned arsenic CEO of information operations startup Astronomer. 

Byron, who is married, was captured connected a Coldplay performance “kiss cam” with his arms astir the company’s main radical serviceman Kristin Cabot. After Byron and Cabot rapidly tried to fell from the camera, Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin joked, “Either they’re having an matter oregon they’re conscionable precise shy.”

Video of the awkward incidental soon went spectacularly viral — Axios, citing Muck Rack data, reported connected Friday that implicit the preceding 24 hours, 22,000 quality articles had been published astir the startup, including 9,000 astir Byron himself. (Amidst the galore jokes and memes, 404 Media argued that the incidental is “emblematic of our societal media surveillance dystopia.”)

Astronomer, which announced successful May that it had raised a $93 cardinal Series D, said Friday that Byron had been placed connected leave, with cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy becoming interim CEO. Cabot has reportedly been placed connected leave arsenic well.

Now, the institution has released a longer statement announcing that Byron has resigned.

“Our leaders are expected to acceptable the modular successful some behaviour and accountability, and recently, that modular was not met,” Astronomer said.

“Before this week, we were known arsenic a pioneer successful the DataOps space, helping information teams powerfulness everything from modern analytics to accumulation AI,” the institution added. “While consciousness of our institution whitethorn person changed overnight, our merchandise and our enactment for our customers person not.”

DeJoy volition proceed to service arsenic interim CEO arsenic the committee searches for a imperishable replacement.