The chief executive officer of an American technology firm has stepped down following a social media storm triggered by footage of him hugging a purported colleague at a Coldplay concert.
The video, which quickly went viral, sparked a wave of memes and public speculation, ultimately prompting his resignation on Saturday as the company faced mounting scrutiny over the incident.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” New York-based Astronomer said in a statement shared on LinkedIn.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation,” the firm said, after previously launching an investigation.
During a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, the jumbotron zoomed in on a man and a woman embracing in the stands.
But the canoodling pair appeared shocked and horrified when they spotted themselves on the big screen, with the man ducking out of frame and the woman hiding her face.
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“Uh-oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” joked Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
In a saga that has captivated social media, internet users swiftly identified the man in the viral Coldplay concert video as Andy Byron, CEO of data orchestration company Astronomer. Online sleuths also named the woman seen embracing him as Kristin Cabot, the firm’s chief people officer, sparking allegations of an office romance gone public.
The footage amassed millions of views across TikTok and other platforms within hours, fuelling a meme frenzy that mocked everything from the indiscretion of having an affair at a Coldplay concert to the perceived irony of an HR executive engaging in a workplace relationship.
“The craziest thing about the Astronomer CEO cheating scandal is it was the HR lady,” one user posted on X, highlighting the apparent hypocrisy of an HR leader embroiled in conduct they are typically charged with policing.
The story’s virality even extended offline, as Philadelphia Phillies baseball mascots recreated the controversial hug on the jumbotron during a game, amplifying the spectacle further.
Meanwhile, a supposed apology from Byron that circulated widely was later debunked as fake, originating from a parody account attempting to capitalise on the scandal’s momentum.