Astronomer CEO resigns after Coldplay kiss-cam viral surprise

The CEO of Astronomer, Andy Byron, resigned in the last hours after the viral controversy generated following the video where he appears hugging another employee of the technology company who is not his wife at a concert of the British band Coldplay.

Astronomer said Saturday. "Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” read the statement. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met."

Byron, who was temporarily suspended, "tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted." the statement posted on X adds.

"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 company detailed.

Astronomer achieved notoriety after the publication on social networks of the video, in which Byron and the woman he embraces hide from the camera when they realize that they were shown on the popular kiss-cam, which usually focuses on couples in this type of event.

In the recording, which accumulates millions of reproductions in several social networks, the Coldplay singer, Chris Martin, says to the public: "Oh, look at these two. You're all right. You're OK. Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."

The event has sparked hundreds of reactions and memes around the world.

"While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not," said the company, which specializes in data operations, artificial intelligence and software development.

The company had already released a statement on Friday informing about the suspension of its CEO, where it also clarified that the text circulated a day earlier, in which Andy Byron supposedly apologized for "a personal mistake," is false.