A kiss cam, a Coldplay concert and two top executives caught mid-cuddle — now, their company is stepping in. Data operations company Astronomer has launched an internal investigation after a viral stadium moment turned into a very public HR headache.
In an X post on the afternoon of Friday, July 18, Astronomer confirmed it is aware of the video and is taking action.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the statement read. “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.”
What happened at the Coldplay concert?
The incident took place on Wednesday, July 16, during Coldplay’s concert in Massachusetts. A kiss cam cut to different couples in the audience, eventually landing on a man with his arms around a woman. The two quickly turned away, prompting Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin to joke, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Within hours, internet sleuths identified the pair as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. The two are not married to each other.
Byron’s wife was not at the concert. Social media users noticed she deleted her Facebook page and removed her married name from her display name shortly after the clip went viral.
According to Axios, sources said both Byron and Cabot were immediately placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Online sleuthing and memes take over
Speculation about the woman’s identity led some users to falsely assume the woman was another Astronomer executive, HR Vice President Alyssa Stoddard. Others guessed that a second woman standing off to the side was Stoddard instead. The company addressed the confusion directly, stating, “Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video.”
That didn’t stop the internet from running wild with jokes.
One user posted, “[The face when] your dream job just opened up,” alluding to potential terminations. Others joked about the company Slack channel or posted clips of former NFL quarterback Tom Brady smirking with the caption, “The entire office when the CEO and HR chief walk in to work after that Coldplay concert.” That video alone has racked up over 400,000 views.
As the video continued to spread, so did fake statements. One false post featured a fabricated apology from Byron, but Astronomer made clear: “Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
Corporate romance and other affairs in the spotlight
Romance in the workplace is not a new phenomenon, but it rarely goes public this fast.
High-profile couples like Bill and Melinda Gates met at Microsoft after Melinda joined as a product manager in 1987. The two are now divorced.
Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher was ousted in 2005 after an internal probe revealed a relationship with another executive. Company execs reportedly received an anonymous tip that Stonecipher was having an affair for at least a few months. He was married with two children at the time, though his wife filed for divorce following the event.
Coldplay reenters the charts
While the situation may be uncomfortable for Byron and Cabot, Coldplay is seeing a bump in popularity.
Following the viral moment, the band reached a peak value of 100 on Google Trends and re-entered Spotify’s Top 50 U.S. Songs chart. As of Friday, “Sparks” had climbed to No. 42.
Fans online began posting their weekly music recaps, showing Coldplay dominating their playlists.
