According to Bloomberg News on the 19th, Astronomer, an IT company led by the person, said in a statement that CEO Andy Byron submitted his resignation and the board accepted it. The company plans to find the next CEO as co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy as an interim CEO.
Regarding the recent situation, the company pointed out, “Our executives have failed to comply with the company’s standards for recent actions and responsibilities.” However, the company emphasized, “Even if our perception of our company has changed overnight, the products and tasks for our customers have not changed,” and “We will continue to do what we do best.”
The day before, the company said it had launched an official investigation into matters related to Byron and Chief Executive Officer Christine Cabot, and that Byron had been placed on leave.
Byron and Cabot made headlines when a scene of them hugging each other at a Coldplay concert in Boston, Massachusetts, was broadcast live on the electronic display on the 16th. When their appearances appeared on the electronic display, the startled Cabot covered his face with his hands, and Byron sat down and hid his face.
Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin, who was embarrassed by the reaction of the two, said at the time, “They are either affairs or very shy.”
The scene spread quickly on social media such as TikTok, and came to be called the “Coldplay Gate” as their identities were revealed. In particular, doubts grew as Byron’s wife deleted her husband’s last name from social media and deactivated her account after the incident.
TikTok videos containing the situation at the time were viewed more than 70 million times and spread around the world, and more than 22,000 related articles were poured out.
Astronomer is a private data infrastructure startup established in 2018, and its corporate value exceeded $1 billion in 2022 to become a unicorn company.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
