Andy Byron, the chief executive of New York-based tech company Astronomer, has resigned from his role after a viral video showed him embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert.
The video, which spread like wildfire online, showed Byron kissing Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief people officer, on the “kiss cam” screen at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Company Accepts Resignation
Astronomer’s board of directors accepted Byron’s resignation, and the company will begin searching for its next CEO.
In a LinkedIn post, Astronomer stated that its leaders are expected to set a high standard in conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.
Statements allegedly from Byron acknowledging the situation began circulating online, but Astronomer later clarified that Byron did not release any statements and reports saying otherwise were incorrect.
The company also addressed the misidentification of a third person seen in the clip circulating on the internet.
Interim CEO Takes Over
Astronomer co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy will serve as interim CEO.
Byron’s LinkedIn account is no longer public, and he was removed from the company’s leadership page, which now lists DeJoy as CEO.
However, Byron is still listed on the company’s website as a member of the board of directors.
Astronomer, a data operations company founded in 2018, is committed to addressing data and artificial intelligence problems and will continue to focus on its mission.