An employee of tech CEO Andy Byron, recently seen in viral footage with his arms around a subordinate at a Coldplay concert, claims that staff are secretly celebrating his boss’s public embarrassment.
In the video, Byron, who leads the New York-based Astronomer, can be seen with his arms around a woman who has since been identified as Kristin Cabot, the Chief Human Resources Officer at the same company.
Highlights
- CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were spotted entwined at a Coldplay concert, and when they were noticed, they ducked for cover.
- One staffer said, “Everybody’s laughing their *ss off” over Byron’s exposure, describing him as a “toxic,” sales-obsessed exec.
- A circulating apology, supposedly from Byron to his wife and staff, was dismissed by Astronomer as “not a real statement.”
One of Astronomer’s employees has broken ranks, telling the press that far from feeling sympathy for Byron, his coworkers are actually laughing at him.
Coldplay front man Chris Martin called it, and only afterwards did he realize the gravity of his statement
Image credits: Astronomer
The incident triggering the recent revelation took place on July 16, when the English band was in Boston as part of its Music of the Spheres world tour.
Coldplay performed at the Foxborough Gillette Stadium, where the “kiss cam” zoomed in on the physically entangled Byron and Cabot.
“Oh look at these two,” the band’s front man, Chris Martin, can be heard saying in the now-popular video.
Image credits: Astronomer
Once the two realized they were in the spotlight, Byron ducked out of sight, and Cabot spun away from the camera with her hands on her face.
And then Martin quipped light-heartedly: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Reports indicate that the reality of what had happened dawned on Martin shortly after, when he said: “Holy sh*t. I hope we didn’t do something bad.”
One of Byron’s Employees told the press that his colleagues were thrilled by their boss’s exposure
Image credits: Twitter/Pop Base
Bored Panda reported that Byron conducted his HR and fidelity infraction not far from where he lives with his wife, Megan Kerrigan, 50, and two children in Massachusetts.
Megan reacted by removing her married surname from her social media handles before deactivating her accounts, which became a target for an influx of messages from the public.
Byron’s employees have since also weighed in. Speaking to the New York Post under the condition of anonymity, one individual described his employer as a “sales-obsessed executive who can be toxic.”
Image credits: Twitter/Pop Base
He went on to say that there was no empathy among Astronomer’s workforce.
“The text groups and chains of former employees are like … everybody’s laughing their *ss off and enjoying the hell out of what happened and him getting exposed.”
The only apology for Byron’s indiscretion has since been rubbished
Thus far, a post reading: “I want to sincerely apologize to my wife, my family, and my team at Astronomer. You deserve better from me as a partner, as a father, and as a leader,” has surfaced on social media.
The apology, purportedly from Byron, continues: “I also want to express how troubling it is that what should have been a private moment became public without my consent.
“I respect artists and entertainers, but I hope we can all think more deeply about the impact of turning someone else’s life into a spectacle.”
His company has since rubbished the apology, dubbing it “not a real statement.”
Image credits: Astronomer
Byron, whose LinkedIn account has been deactivated, has yet to respond to the media's requests for comment.
A Newswire report about Astronomer in 2024 quotes Byron praising Kristin Cabot
Cabot has been working with Astronomer since November 2024.
Image credits: Astronomer
A PR Newswire announcement of her hiring on the 19th of the same month claimed she had 20 years of experience in the field.
Byron was quoted as saying, “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory.
Cabot reciprocated with a revelation of her own when she said: “There’s so much more to it.”
“She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
Cabot responded by saying she was “energized” by Byron
Image credits: salesforceventures.com
“I was energized in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here,” she elaborated.
Some say that the two would not have been outed if they had just acted normally when the kiss cam zoomed in on them
Social Media is having a field day with the topic.
Image credits: NewsNowUS
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“Everyone but his wife maybe laughing.. I’d be laughing heading into my new divorce attorney’s office too,” wrote one person.
“If I were the wife, I'd blast Coldplay every time I interacted with him. You know, just as a reminder,” quipped another.
Image credits: Astronomer
One netizen saw the ongoing fracas in another light.
“If they had just kept acting normal, this would have never been news. Once they reacted in that manner, it became people’s mission at that show to figure out who they were, and why they were so sketched out,” they wrote.
"Just another day at the office," says the internet
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