Andy Byron, the CEO of the technology firm Astronomer Inc., has resigned, days after his awkward kiss cam fiasco involving Astronomer's chief people officer Kristin Cabot.
Announcing that Byron was stepping down from his post, Astronomer said a standard, in terms of "both conduct and accountability", was recently not met.
As Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot continue to face backlash over the kiss cam scandal, a look at what happened over the past few days:
Kiss-cam footage blows up
As people opened their social media accounts on Friday morning, it is most likely that almost everyone came across a viral clip from the day before, of two people being caught enjoying a Coldplay concert Foxborough, Massachusetts.
It was during the Jumbotron Song that kiss cam zoomed in on the couple, with the man's arms wrapped around the woman. However, the two awkwardly drifted away, the woman turning around hiding her face and the man ducking to go out of the frame.
Lead singer Chris Martin joked at the moment and said, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Little did he know that the clip would blow up immensely.
{{/usCountry}}Lead singer Chris Martin joked at the moment and said, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Little did he know that the clip would blow up immensely.
{{/usCountry}}Internet sleuths later identified the couple as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company's chief people officer Kristin Cabot, who are definitely not married to each other, but to different people.
While Andy Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, photos have gone viral online, claiming Kristin Cabot is married to a man named Andrew Cabot, but the claim is unverified.
Amid the controversy, photos of Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot with their respective families also surfaced, triggering further backlash for the duo.
Andy Byron, Kristin Cabot placed on leave
A day after the scandal blew up, Astronomer was forced to take some action, and hence placed Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot on immediate leave. It was also reported that the two were in talks for a resignation and a potential compensation package.
Speculation about Byron’s potential resignation had surged online ever since news broke of the alleged affair between Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot. This happened even before the company issued a statement about the ongoing investigation.
Their prediction came true a day later as Andy Byron resigned from the post of CEO of Astronomer Inc.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company said in its post on LinkedIn.
Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot haven't issued any statement ever since the scandal sparked cheating rumours.