The new CEO of data tech company Astronomer has addressed the infamous Coldplay “Kiss Cam” scandal that prompted the last person in his position to resign.
Co-founder Pete DeJoy assumed the role of interim CEO after a viral video reportedly showed CEO Andy Byron and the company’s chief people officer embracing on the Jumbotron during a July 18 show, according to the New York Times.
Following the scandal, the company announced via posts to X and LinkedIn that Byron had “tendered his resignation.”
In a new LinkedIn post titled “Moving Forward at Astronomer,” DeJoy broke his silence on the controversy with a more positive take on the situation.
New Astronomer interim CEO speaks on scandal
“The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies — let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world — ever encounter,” DeJoy wrote in the Monday, July 21 post.
“The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name,” he said.
“From starting a software company in Cincinnati, Ohio, to keeping the lights on through the collapse of the bank that held all our cash, to scaling from 30 to 300 people during a global pandemic that demanded we do it all without ever being in the same room,” DeJoy wrote. “And yet, we’re still here.”
Has Andy Byron spoken up about the scandal?
Byron has yet to publicly address the controversy or his leave of absence at Astronomer. The company has dismissed a recent fabricated statement impersonating Byron.
The video of the July 16 incident at Gillette Stadium has received more than 124 million views on TikTok alone.
The viral moment shows a man and a woman embracing each other before quickly letting go and ducking out of view when a “Kiss Cam” put them in the spotlight at the Foxborough, Massachusetts stadium.
“Uh oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin quipped at the time.
Astronomer didn’t specify exactly why Byron resigned but on LinkedIn wrote the company “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.”
The company did not respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Astronomer CEO calls Coldplay scandal ‘surreal’ in first statement
