A Jumbotron Jamboree of Juicy Drama
Gillette Stadium was packed to the rafters with Coldplay fans swaying to A Sky Full of Stars. The vibe was electric, the mood romantic, then—BAM!—the kiss cam swings into action, ready to sprinkle some PDA fairy dust on the crowd.
However, instead of a cute couple smooching for the jumbotron, we witnessed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his HR chief Kristin Cabot caught in a cozy clinch. Upon seeing themselves on the big screen, the two scrambled like Raid-sprayed roaches when the lights flick on.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin, ever the mischievous maestro, drops a quip that’s pure dynamite:
“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
CEO of major companies are rarely shy and that was the case here.
This isn’t just a fleeting moment of concert awkwardness; it’s a viral scandal that’s got social media doing cartwheels and corporate boardrooms sweating bullets.
Because it’s not just about two execs getting frisky at a Coldplay gig. It’s about power, privilege, and the eternal human knack for stepping in it—publicly. Let’s unpack this deliciously messy saga, dig into the historical context of high-profile hanky-panky, and explore why we’re all so obsessed with this non-world-changing drama.
The Kiss Cam Catastrophe: A Corporate Soap Opera
Andy Byron, CEO of Astronomer, a New York-based tech firm valued at over $1.3 billion, and Kristin Cabot, his Chief People Officer proved that they’re not just colleagues. The Jumbotron showed the pair snuggled up, his arms around her waist, her smile beaming brighter than Coldplay’s light show. Until, that is, they realize they’re on the jumbotron.
Cue panic: Byron dives behind a barrier like he’s dodging a subpoena, and Cabot slaps her hands over her face like she’s auditioning for a horror flick. As the New York Post reported,
“The couple—identified as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the firm’s chief human resources officer, Kristin Cabot—scrambled to hide their faces when they were caught on the jumbotron canoodling at Gillette Stadium near Boston on Wednesday night.”
More on the Players
Astronomer—a company most of us hadn’t heard of before—becomes the talk of TikTok, X, and Reddit.
The clip racked up millions of views, with netizens tossing out zingers like, “Imagine getting caught cheating… by Coldplay” and “What’s worse, your spouse cheating or liking Coldplay?” Ouch.
Byron, 50, is the CEO of Astronomer, a data orchestration platform that’s been riding the AI wave since he took the helm in July 2023. The company’s Astro platform is a darling of enterprise clients, and Byron’s been basking in the glow of a $93 million Series D funding round, as he gushed on NYSE TV just days before the concert.
His LinkedIn (before he kicked it into oblivion post-scandal) boasted a 20-year tech career, including stints at Cybereason and Fuze. He’s married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, with whom he shares two sons, and they live in Northborough, Massachusetts, not far from Gillette Stadium.
Cabot, 56, is Astronomer’s Chief People Officer, hired in November 2024 with Byron’s glowing endorsement. As the New York Post reported, “Andy Byron gushed about Kristin Cabot’s hiring—months before getting caught on Coldplay’s kiss cam.”
He called her a “proven leader” with “exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management,” perfect for fostering “diverse, collaborative workplaces.”
Cabot’s LinkedIn brags about “winning trust with employees of all levels from CEOs to managers to assistants,” yet here she is, center stage in what the internet dubbed the “Coldplay Cheater Cam.”
Her bio also hints at a past marriage to Kenneth C. Thornby, though her current marital status is now murkier than a Boston fog.
