New York-based tech firm Astronomer’s chief executive officer Andy Byron has stepped down after a viral video showed him embracing a colleague during Coldplay’s concert.
On Saturday, July 19, Astronomer’s board of directors accepted Byron’s resignation and named co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement.
The company addressed the incident in a statement, saying its leadership “did not meet” internal conduct standards.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, July 16, Byron was seen with HR chief Kristin Cabot on the “kiss cam” at Gillette Stadium before both moved out of frame.
The data operations company said online claims that Byron issued a statement were inaccurate, adding that he has not made any public comments.
Byron’s LinkedIn profile has since been taken down, and his name has been removed from Astronomer’s leadership page, though he remains listed on the board of directors.
