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Why Astronomer hasn't fired HR head Kristin Cabot after Coldplay kiss cam row with Andy Byron? Legal experts explain
Andy Byron, who has now resigned as Astronomer CEO, was cozying with Kristin Cabot, the company's HR head at a Coldplay concert.
The Coldplay concert in Boston will remain etched in public memory for some time – largely due to the viral moment when the kiss cam caught Astronomer's Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot cozying up. The pair quickly disengaged from their hug, when they realized they were on screen, sparking affair rumours.
Notably, both Byron and Cabot are married to other people, and the CEO and HR head were placed on leave by Astronomer, which opened an investigation into the matter. Byron also resigned as CEO over the event. However, there is no update on what the status is with Cabot.
Now, legal experts have explained why Astronomer has not fired the HR executive.
Why Astronomer has not fired Kristin Cabot?
Despite being placed on leave, Cabot remains an Astronomer employee. Legal experts, speaking to the New York Post, have explained that it is not all that easy to fire employees just over ‘ugly’ headlines.
“In a real-world big company, you can’t just fire someone because the headlines are ugly,” an attorney told the publication.
“If HR greenlit what happened with Coldplay, and there is a supporting paper trail, heads will likely roll. It just might take a few more days before the axe drops,” they added.
Meanwhile, another opined that the booting of Cabot itself might be easy for Astronomer, but the company might find itself wrangling with Cabot over an exit deal.
Also Read | Can Andy Byron sue Coldplay over kiss cam scandal? Lawyers break it down
“Like if you were to look for a picture of ’cause’ [for firing] in the dictionary, it would show a picture of the head of HR having a public affair with the CEO of the company,” he told the publication, adding that it was tough for him to imagine her continuing in the same role.
Attorney Douglas Wigdor, founding partner of Wigdor LLP, meanwhile, theorized that there may be more to the relationship that the public is not privy to, noting it to be one of the possible reasons why Cabot hasn't publicly left Astronomer.
“Maybe there’s more to the story from her. That’s definitely possible about how it came to be that they’re at this concert and they’re embracing. It’s a short video, so it’s hard to know what exactly is going on," he told NY Post.
Cabot, meanwhile, has deactivated her LinkedIn, and has not issued a statement addressing the matter.
