Andy Byron

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Andy Byron
Born
Andrew Michael Byron

(1974-09-14) September 14, 1974 (age 50)
Hanover, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationProvidence College
OccupationBusinessman
Title
Children2

Andrew Michael Byron (born September 14, 1974) is an American businessman who was the chief executive officer of the data analytics company Astronomer from July 2023 to July 2025.[1] He became globally known in July 2025 after a video of him and a subordinate, Kristin Cabot, embracing at a Coldplay concert on a "kiss cam" went viral. He and Cabot were both married at the time, but not to each other. In the wake of publicity over the incident, Byron was suspended from his position at Astronomer, and he resigned within a few days.

Byron was previously a chief operating officer and company president for the cloud communications company Fuze (formerly ThinkingPhones), and a chief revenue officer of the cybersecurity firm Cybereason.[2] Byron also held an executive role at the cloud security company Lacework.

Early life and education

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Byron was born on September 14, 1974, in Hanover, Massachusetts,[3] and later moved to the town of Duxbury. Following his 1993 graduation from Trinity-Pawling School[citation needed] in the town of Pawling, New York, Byron enrolled into Providence College the next year, a Catholic liberal arts institution located in Providence, Rhode Island.[2] He studied there until 1997, when he received a bachelor's degree[4] in political science.[citation needed]

He was a pitcher for the Providence College baseball team in the 1994 and 1996 seasons.[5] Following his graduation, he was a pitcher in the 1997 season for the Clarksville Coyotes, an independent baseball league professional team in the Heartland League from Clarksville, Tennessee.[6][5][7] There is a collectible trading card featuring Byron from his time on the Coyotes.[3]

Career

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From September 2015 until early 2017, Byron was chief operating officer and then company president at Fuze (formerly ThinkingPhones), a cloud communications company that was later acquired by 8x8.[2] From 2017 to 2019, he was chief revenue officer at Cybereason, a cybersecurity firm.[8] He subsequently held an executive role from 2019 to 2023 at Lacework, a cloud security company, where he focused on sales and operations.[2][9]

Astronomer was founded in 2015 and Byron became its CEO in July 2023,[10][9] and oversaw a $93 million Series D funding round in 2025,[11] which contributed to the company reaching a reported valuation of $1.3 billion.[12] During his tenure, Astronomer also expanded internationally, including opening a new office in London.[13]

Coldplay concert controversy

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Main article: Impact of the Music of the Spheres World Tour § Affair scandal in the US

In July 2025, Byron went viral after being caught in a "kiss cam" shot on the stadium's jumbotron screen embracing Astronomer's chief people officer (head of human resources) Kristin Cabot (who was also married herself) at a Coldplay concert, part of the Music of the Spheres World Tour, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.[14][15] Chris Martin, the band's frontman, drew the crowd's attention, saying "Oh, look at these two. You're all right," and when they reacted by suddenly releasing their embrace and ducking out of the view of the camera, he remarked "You're OK. Uh-oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're very shy."[1][8] The clip drew widespread attention online and in the media, leading Astronomer's board to place both Byron and Cabot on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.[16]

Byron tendered his resignation on July 19, 2025, which the board of directors accepted.[1] The board thereby began a search for the company's next chief executive.[17][18] As of 22 July 2025, company cofounder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy is serving as interim CEO.[16][19][20]

Personal life

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Byron lives in Northborough, Massachusetts.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lavietes, Matt (July 19, 2025). "Astronomer CEO resigns after Coldplay 'kiss cam' scandal". NBC News. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d S. Bravo, Frances Karmel. "Fast facts about Andy Byron, CEO at the center of "Coldplaygate"". PEP.ph. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Andy Byron Gallery". Trading Card Database. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  4. ^ "Providence College Seventy-Ninth Commencement" (PDF). Providence College. May 18, 1997. p. 17. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Andy Byron: Retired". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  6. ^ Landeck, Katie (July 18, 2025). "Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has a surprising RI connection. What we found". Newport Daily News. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  7. ^ "Andy Byron". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Ensor, Josie (July 18, 2025). "Tech CEO and HR boss suspended after Coldplay embrace goes viral". The Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Berg, Madeline; Newsham, Jack (July 18, 2025). "Astronomer board launches investigation after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video appears to show CEO embracing HR chief". Business Insider. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  10. ^ Engel, Liz (September 27, 2023). "Astronomer's new CEO Andy Byron hopes to rebound following big layoffs in 2023". Cincy Inno. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  11. ^ "Astronomer Secures $93 Million Series D Funding to Deliver Unified DataOps Platform for Enterprise AI". Astronomer. May 1, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  12. ^ "Andy Byron Net Worth: Astronomer CEO's income, equity share in tech company as Coldplay Concert Kiss Cam clip with Kristin Cabot goes viral". The Economic Times. July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  13. ^ "Astronomer Announces New London Office To Meet Increased Demand in EMEA". Astronomer (Press release). May 8, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  14. ^ McBride, Jessica (July 18, 2025). "Andy Bryon is the CEO of a Company Called Astronomer. He's in a Social Media Firestorm". Men's Journal. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  15. ^ Faguy, Ana (July 19, 2025). "US tech CEO Andy Byron suspended after Coldplay concert embrace goes viral". BBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Hawkins, Eleanor (July 18, 2025). "Astronomer execs on leave after viral Coldplay concert scandal". Axios. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  17. ^ Halpert, Madeline (July 19, 2025). "Andy Byron: US tech CEO resigns after Coldplay concert embrace goes viral". BBC News. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  18. ^ "Affair on air: Coldplay's Chris Martin exposes Astronomer CEO Andy Byron". The Standard. July 20, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  19. ^ "Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay concert kiss cam video". The Standard. July 18, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  20. ^ Riga, Jessica (July 20, 2025). "Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after Coldplay concert saga". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on July 20, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  21. ^ Elfland, Mike (July 19, 2025). "CEO in viral video, Northborough homeowner, resigns from Astronomer". Telegram & Gazette.