Last week, the award-winning pop-rock band’s performance at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts made headlines after the attending CEO of Astronomer and his head of HR were caught swaying together on the massive jumbotron screen.
Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, hence their immediate awkwardness upon being rumbled.
Addressing this apparent hiccup, Coldplay singer Chris Martin pointed out: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy. Hope we didn’t do something wrong!”
Springer appeared on yesterday’s (July 21) instalment of ITV programme This Morning, where she told presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond that she hadn’t managed to monetise the clip.
“I’ve actually made no money from the video itself or the views,” she said. “It’s not monetised.”
At the time of the exposing camera shot, Springer was ‘hoping to see [herself] on the big screen’ because she loves to ‘capture moments’.
“In the moment when I filmed it, I didn’t think much of it, but of course, everyone was kind of chattering. There was over 50,000 people at the concert, so it was a hot topic,” she added.
“But it wasn’t until after the concert, where I was debriefing with my friends and I said ‘Let’s review the footage, let’s see if it really looks that bad.’ And I think it does.”
As for whether the New Jersey native has any regrets about uploading the clip online – it now boasts over 125 million views – she went on to say: “I definitely feel for Andy’s wife Megan, his family and everyone else who has been hurt in the process.
“But as I said, there was over 50,000 people and I’m not the only one that caught it on camera, so if it wasn’t me who uploaded it, I’m sure someone else would have.”
Grace Springer’s video has garnered more than 122 million views (Grace Springer)
She also spoke to LADbible last week about the incident, saying that she would want to know if her partner was caught in incriminating footage.
She said: “It’s heartbreaking to go through something like that, but at the end of the day you need to be held accountable for your actions.
“I really just feel for the partners. I’m hoping that it will give them the opportunity not to waste any more time with a partner that doesn’t give them the respect they deserve.
“Unfortunately, I think a lot of women including myself has been through situations like that. I had people in my life that knew and didn’t tell me, so I would want to be told.
“I don’t have much respect for cheaters, I think at the end of the day you have to do the right thing.
“It doesn’t mean they can’t be good people moving forward.”
In light of the footage, Byron’s software company Astronomer immediately launched a formal investigation into their alleged affair and they were both placed on leave.
Several days later, though, Astronomer announced that the CEO had resigned from his role due to the scandal.
“As stated previously, 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,” a representative told Page Six Saturday.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.”
Co-founder Pete DeJoy was subsequently named as Astronomer’s interim CEO.
In footage that quickly went viral online, now former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was getting on extremely well with the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough in Massachusetts.
In the footage, Byron – who is married – appeared to have his arms around Cabot while she leaned back into his chest and held onto his hands.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin called attention to the pair who he thought were a couple, but he was left gobsmacked by their reaction.
The woman suddenly moved to cover her face, as Byron dropped to the ground and disappeared from the frame.
“Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy,” Martin said.
The clip quickly went viral (TikTok)
A red-faced woman also appeared in the footage, and many on the internet believed her to be Alyssa Stoddard, Cabot’s direct report at Astronomer.
Internet sleuths figured out Stoddard had worked for the HR head honcho for four different companies.
In a LinkedIn post announcing Stoddard’s promotion to VP of People at Astronomer, Cabot said: “Alyssa is the kind of leader who earns trust fast, sees around corners, and builds People functions that don’t just support a company’s growth – they accelerate it.
“She’s also a thoughtful, value-driven partner who makes every team she touches stronger.”
However, an Astronomer spokesperson told News.com.au that she had been misidentified, saying: “Stoddard wasn’t at the concert, reaffirming that no other employees were featured with the pair on the jumbotron.”
The concert-goer has been misidentified (TikTok)
Byron has since resigned from his position at Astronomer, with the company putting out a statement on the matter over the weekend.
In the post on X, formerly Twitter, it said: “As stated previously, 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.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. 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.
“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI.
“While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.
“We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.”
Astronomer confirmed co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy has stepped into the role of interim CEO.
A man who has been identified online as Andy Byron, the CEO of New York-based company Astronomer, had been watching Coldplay at their gig at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Wednesday (July 16) when he suddenly appeared on a huge screen in the arena.
Byron is married, but he allegedly attended the gig with his employee Kristin Cabot, who is the Chief People Officer of Astronomer.
In footage that has since gone viral, Byron appeared to have his arms around Cabot while she leaned back into his chest and held onto his hands.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin called attention to the pair who he thought were a couple, but he was left gobsmacked by their reaction.
Chris Martin called attention to the pair (Robert Okine/Getty Images)
The woman suddenly moved to cover her face, as the man dropped to the ground and disappeared from the frame.
“Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy,” Martin said.
It was Grace Springer who filmed the incident in the stadium and posted it online, and she would never have anticipated the internet reaction that has come as a result.
After her video had been viewed millions’ of times across the web, the 28-year-old from New Jersey spoke with the Sun.
She said: “I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it.
“A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes.
“I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them.
“I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise.”
The woman who filmed the video has spoken out (@instaagraace/TikTok)
While a statement allegedly from Byron appeared online earlier today, the CEO’s company quickly dismissed it.
“I want to acknowledge the moment that’s been circulating online, and the disappointment it’s caused,” the fake statement read. “I also want to express how troubling it is that what should have been a private moment became public without my consent. I respect artists and entertainers, but I hope we can all think more deeply about the impact of turning someone else’s life into a spectacle.”
Well, the statement has been quickly debunked with Astronomer’s Taylor Jones telling Men’s Journal: “This is not a real statement.”
A man who has been identified as Byron had been watching Chris Martin with Coldplay at their gig at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Wednesday (July 16) when he suddenly appeared on a huge screen in the arena.
In footage that has since gone viral, Byron appears to have his arms around Kristin Cabot, the Chief People Officer of Astronomer, who is leaning back into Byron and holding his hands.
“Oh look at these two,” Martin can be heard saying in the clip. However, when the pair realize they’re on camera, Cabot rushes to cover her face while Byron ducks down out of sight.
Chris Martin pointed out the pair at the Coldplay gig (Joe Maher/Getty Images)
Martin then adds: “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy.”
In the wake of the viral clip, a statement appeared online which claimed to be written by Byron. The statement refers to a ‘deeply personal mistake playing out on a very public stage’, adding: “I want to sincerely apologize to my wife, my family, and the team at Astronomer. You deserve better from me as a partner, as a father, and as a leader.”
The statement goes on to request ‘privacy’, before coming to an end with a quote from Coldplay: “Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.”
However, following the release of the apology, Astronomer has spoken to TMZ and said it is ‘not a real statement’.
One user on Twitter drew attention to questionable aspects of the statement as they wrote: “The ‘statement from Astronomer CEO Andy Byron’ that’s going around originated with a 50-follower account called ‘Peter Enis’. As in ‘P. Enis’.”
The statement attributed to Byron emerged on X (X/@petereniscbs)
A community note was also added to the original ‘statement’, which read: “Peter Enis does not exist at CBS News. Until earlier today, this account was listed as a parody. This changed deliberately to mislead.”
Realizing the jig was up, ‘Peter Enis’ later shared an update in which they admitted they’d been ‘caught’.
According to the Financial Express, the X account attributed to Enis posted: “Thank you to all who made today so funny. I’m glad you all enjoyed the Fix You lyric at the end. I debated on that one.. Best, P.Enis.”
At the time of writing (July 18), the account belonging to Peter Enis has been suspended. Byron has not issued a statement on the viral video.
LADbible Group has reached out to Astronomer and Chris Martin’s reps for comment.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past day, I’m sure you would have seen the viral clip of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron seemingly getting on extremely well with the company’s Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough in Massachusetts.
In the footage, Byron – who is married – appeared to have his arms around Cabot while she leaned back into his chest and held onto his hands.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin called attention to the pair who he thought were a couple, but he was left gobsmacked by their reaction.
The woman suddenly moved to cover her face, as Byron dropped to the ground and disappeared from the frame.
“Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy,” Martin said.
Chris Martin called attention to the pair (Robert Okine/Getty Images)
Well, another Andy Byron, from Dublin, has had some 24 hours too, as many mistook him for the Astronomer CEO caught in the viral video.
The creative director of Stylo.ie has been speaking to The Sun following a whirlwind few hours.
He said: “I started getting messages from the lads asking if I enjoyed the Coldplay concert – and we were having a bit of craic about it.
“Then I started getting strangers from LinkedIn messaging ‘saying you got caught out bad’ and how ashamed I should be – a lot of people on a moral high horse.
“The actual Andy took his LinkedIn page down so everyone started messaging me – it got so bad that I had to turn all my notifications off.”
On LinkedIn, Byron has jokingly added his job title as ‘not the Coldplay gig guy’ and has even bought his wife some flowers amid all the viral attention.
Another Andy Byron has spoken out (LinkedIn/andybyrongraphics)
Byron said on the networking site it wasn’t him in the footage because he ‘wouldn’t be caught dead at a Coldplay concert’.
Safe to say he’s not a fan of the British band, then.
The businessman then went on to make the most of the attention by promoting his own motion graphics design business, writing: “I’m the Andy Byron who makes videos for big screens, not the one who gets caught on them.
“If you want to make video content that goes viral for the right reasons, let’s connect. Check Stylo Motion Design.”
