Astronomer CEO thanks team after viral kiss cam moment, says “we look forward…”: Read note

Read what Pete DeJoy, Astronomer’s interim CEO, has to say about his team and what’s next.

Astronomer's interim CEO and co-founder, Pete DeJoy, has taken to LinkedIn to share his thoughts after the kiss cam fiasco that affected the company earlier this month.

Co-founder Pete DeJoy is acting as interim CEO. (Pete DeJoy/Airflow Summit)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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His comments come after the former CEO, Andy Byron, was filmed hugging the company's head of HR, Kristen Cabot, during a kiss cam segment at a Coldplay concert. The footage took the internet by storm, sparking a wave of memes.

Andy Byron has since resigned, and more recently, Kristin Cabot, who served as Chief People Officer, has also stepped down.

Here’s What Pete DeJoy Said

In his LinkedIn post, DeJoy noted that the team at Astronomer proved they could support their customers and each other, coming together to support the company's mission "without missing a beat". He mentioned how grateful he was to work alongside such thoughtful and driven people and thanked employees for "showing what great teams are made of".

He added, "Your character and commitment do not go unnoticed.”

“I’d also like to thank the team at Maximum Effort for their remarkable work with our very temporary spokesperson. As Gwyneth Paltrow said, now it's time for us to return to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers. We look forward to what this next chapter holds for Astronomer.”

What Role Did Gwyneth Paltrow Play?

After the Coldplay fiasco, Astronomer hired Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow as a temporary spokesperson. Coincidentally, Paltrow is the ex-wife of Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin.

In her role, she addressed several questions directed at the company in a short video. When faced with the question, "OMG, what the actual F?", Paltrow replied, “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow.”

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