- Andy Byron, CEO of Astronomer, has been sent on leave amid a controversy over a Coldplay concert video
- Pete DeJoy, co-founder and Chief Product Officer, has been named interim CEO of Astronomer
- Astronomer's Board has launched a formal probe into an alleged affair between Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot
Astronomer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andy Byron has been sent on leave and co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy has been appointed as an interim, the company announced on Saturday, as the former landed in hot water over an intimate video of him with HR chief Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert.
The tech company also said that its Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into an alleged affair between Mr Byron and Ms Cabot and that additional details will be shared shortly.
"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," it said in a post on X.
In a separate post, the New York-based AI firm said it 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 Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly," it said.
It said that Mr Byron is yet to put out a statement. "...reports saying otherwise are all incorrect," it said.
The company also said that Alyssa Stoddard, one of its employees, was wrongly identified as the "super embarrassed" girl at the event. "Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video."
Mr Byron was caught embracing Ms Cabot at a Coldplay concert in Boston, sparking rumours of an affair since the former is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron. The moment came to light when the "kiss cam" at the concert at Gillette Stadium came close to Mr Byron and Ms Cabot.
As they saw themselves on the giant screens around the venue, they broke away from their hug and tried to duck out of sight. Band frontman Chris Martin joked: "Either they're having an affair or they're just really shy". He then expressed regret over unintentionally calling them out, saying: "Oh s**t, I hope we didn't do something bad."
The video went viral, with many questioning Mr Byron's behaviour considering his marital status. Ms Kerrigan removed her surname from her Facebook page shortly after the controversial video featuring her husband circulated.
According to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile, Mr Byron became the CEO of Astronomer in July 2023. Earlier, he held senior positions at companies like Lacework, Cybereason, Fuze, BMC Software, BladeLogic and VeriCenter.
The businessman has two children with Ms Kerrigan. The family resides in the neighbouring town of Northborough. Ms Kerrigan serves as an Associate Director of Lower School and Hope Graham Program Admissions at the Bancroft School.
Mr Byron hired Kristin Cabot as the HR head of his company in November 2024. In a statement released at the time, he said, "Kristin's exceptional leadership and deep enterprise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory."
