After a viral video showed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron embracing his HR chief Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert, the company co-founder and former CEO has distanced himself from the controversy now being called “ColdplayGate”.
Taking to X, Ry Walker clarified that he was no longer involved with the company. “For those asking - I’m no longer involved in @astronomerio - yes, I was co-founder and early CEO - not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate,” he wrote.
The founder also poked fun at the CEO, who was allegedly caught cheating on his wife, in a post by an angel investor who shared the viral video of the CEO and said, “This is why we passed on the seed round.”
{{/usCountry}}The founder also poked fun at the CEO, who was allegedly caught cheating on his wife, in a post by an angel investor who shared the viral video of the CEO and said, “This is why we passed on the seed round.”
{{/usCountry}}The investor clarified that he was joking but pointed out that the CEO at the time was a different man, whom he called “awesome.”
Walker, then the company's CEO, replied to the post, “Yes, he was.”
The posts led to many online urging Walker to take back the CEO role as Byron faces a media storm over the viral video.
Chris Martin accidentally exposes affair
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin interacted with fans at the band's recent concert at the Gilette Stadium. He then began talking to a couple. When the camera was put on them, the two frantically tried to hide their identities. The man, identified as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, and the woman, the company's HR chief, were embracing when the camera pointed at them.
Seeing their reaction, the singer joked that the couple were either too shy or having an affair. The video was widely circulated online, with the internet in disbelief about the way the two were caught cheating.
Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, an educator at Bancroft School. The couple has two children. After the clip went viral, her social media was flooded with messages from people, leading her to remove the Byron name from her accounts.