- Gwyneth Paltrow has been named temporary spokesperson for tech firm Astronomer
- Astronomer employs over 300 staff and focuses on running Apache Airflow at scale
- Former CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot have left Astronomer
Just when you thought the 'Jumbotron' moment involving former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and its Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot was fading away, the tech firm announced its new "temporary" spokesperson. And the woman at the forefront of this campaign also has a Coldplay connection. It's none other than Academy Award-winner Gwyneth Paltrow, who is also the former wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
In a minute-long video posted to X, Astronomer announced that she was on board in a "temporary" position "to speak for its 300+ employees". Ms Paltrow is seen answering a few questions asked of the company in the last few days. "OMG! What the actual F..." reads the text on screen before the 52-year-old says, "Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying data, ML and AI pipelines at scale."
As for the other questions, such as how the company's social media team were holding up given the global scrutiny of the company, she said: "We still have room ... and we will be returning to what we do best - delivering game-changing returns."
"Thank you for your interest in Astronomer," she concluded.
Who Is Gwyneth Paltrow?
Gwyneth Paltrow was born on September 27, 1972, Los Angeles, California, to television producer Bruce Paltrow and Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner. At 11, Ms Paltrow accompanied her family when they moved to Massachusetts. Her father started working in summer stock productions in the Berkshires, and that's when she received her first acting lessons from her parents.
After her time at all-girls Spence School in New York City, Ms Paltrow moved to California and attended UC Santa Barbara, majoring in Art History. Her parents supported her decision to drop out of studies and pursue a career in acting and modelling.
After some small roles in Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991) and Flesh and Bone (1993), Ms Paltrow shot to the spotlight with Se7en wherein she starred alongside Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. She followed it up with another brilliant performance playing Emma Woodhouse in Emma (1996).
She was then offered Viola in Shakespeare in Love (1998), and her breathtaking portrayal won her the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, according to PEOPLE.
In 2002, Ms Paltrow met Coldplay frontman Chris Martin backstage at one of their shows. After dating for a year, they got married and stayed together until 2014. Over the ten years of being together, the couple had two children, Apple and Moses.
In 2014, Ms Paltrow announced they were "consciously uncoupling". The duo has since stayed good friends and brought up their children.
"I think Chris and I were meant to be together and have our kids," Paltrow said in 2019. "But our relationship is much better like this: friends and co-parents and family."
Ms Paltrow remarried TV writer and producer Brad Falchuk in 2018.
She is also the subject of a biography authored by Amy Odell. The book will be released on July 29, and it is based on over 220 interviews with industry insiders. Ms Paltrow herself did not participate, Variety reported.
What's happening at Astronomer
Days after Astronomer put both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot on leave, the two are no longer part of the company.
Ms Cabot's resignation came after Byron's last week. Astronomer co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy has, meanwhile, stepped in as interim CEO.
