THE CEO of software company Astronomer has resigned after a video featuring him embracing a woman at a Coldplay concert went viral.
Andy Byron and his companion were caught on the ‘kiss cam’ and shown on the big screen during the show at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Wednesday.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the firm said in a statement last night.
‘Very shy’
In a video capturing the moment the pair are shown on the ‘kiss cam’ screen, they break their embrace before the woman covers her face and turns away, while Byron ducks out of shot.
Their reaction prompted Coldplay signer Chris Martin to say: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The clip subsequently went viral as internet sleuths tried to identify the pair, with many claiming it showed married Byron and a female co-worker at Astronomer.
The pair try to hide after being shown on the big screenIn an initial statement, the company said it had begun a formal investigation into the matter.
The statement added that online claims identifying a second woman in the video as an Astronomer employee were incorrect.
“Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video,” it said.
“Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
‘Values and culture’
Last night, Astronomer released a statement confirming Byron had left the company.
“As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” it read.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.
“The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.”
The statement added that despite the unexpected attention the incident had brought to the company, its focus remained on its customers and services.
“We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems,” it added.