The footage of a CEO embracing an employee went viral earlier this week after the pair appeared on a large screen at a Coldplay concert.
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Astronomer, the tech platform whose CEO was spotted embracing an employee on a Jumbotron video at a Coldplay concert earlier this week, announced he was being placed on leave.
The company wrote on X that Andy Byron has been replaced by its co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Pete DeJoy, currently serving as interim CEO.
Byron was caught in a compromising position with an employee when a "kiss-cam" at a Coldplay concert landed on them.
The Astronomer CEO quickly dove out of shot while the woman he was with, Kristin Cabot, who is HR chief of Astronomer, covered her face. The moment was filmed and posted online by another concertgoer, leading to its virality.
British tabloid The Sun reported that Astronomer is worth more than $1.3billion (€1.1bn) and Byron has served as CEO of the company since 2023. Cabot joined as Chief People Officer nine months ago.
The now-viral moment has sparked a wave of memes flooding social media platforms.
A statement that appeared to be Byron's response and apology was posted online, but Astronomer later confirmed it was fake. Neither Byron nor Cabot have publicly addressed the allegations.
