Cybereason controversy resurfaces as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron quits after Coldplay affair clip
Past allegations about Byron’s management style at the Israeli cyber firm come back into focus as viral concert video forces abrupt exit.
The chief executive of Astronomer, a U.S.-based data technology company, has stepped down after being filmed in an intimate moment with a colleague at a Coldplay concert, a public episode that has reignited scrutiny over his past conduct in the business world, including his time at an Israeli-founded cybersecurity firm.
Andy Byron resigned on Saturday after video footage circulated widely online showing him and Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s chief people officer, embracing at a Coldplay show at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. Once they realized they were being broadcast on the venue’s giant screen, Byron quickly moved out of sight while Cabot turned away and covered her face. The moment drew an unscripted comment from Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Internet users swiftly identified the pair through social media, leaving Astronomer’s leadership facing questions about workplace conduct. The company later posted a statement on LinkedIn confirming Byron’s resignation. It noted that “leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.” Cabot’s current status at the company has not been clarified; Astronomer said only that Byron and Cabot were the only employees caught on camera.
The abrupt departure brings renewed attention to Byron’s earlier controversies, most notably his tenure as chief revenue officer at Cybereason, the Israeli-founded cybersecurity startup that has counted SoftBank among its major backers. In 2018, The Information reported that Byron’s management style at Cybereason had caused significant internal friction, prompting multiple resignations. According to the report, former colleagues accused him of lashing out at employees who disagreed with him, threatening to fire those who challenged his authority, and shifting the culture of the company away from transparency.
“You couldn’t challenge him,” one former Cybereason employee told The Information at the time. The report described a once-open work environment becoming more tense and opaque under Byron’s leadership.
While the Coldplay incident involves Byron’s personal life, for some in the industry, it has surfaced old questions about how private behavior can bleed into professional culture, and how boards respond when leaders fail to uphold the standards they set for others.
Astronomer’s board acted quickly once the video emerged, placing Byron on leave on Friday before formally accepting his resignation on Saturday. Pete DeJoy, the company’s chief product officer, has been appointed interim CEO.
Neither Byron nor Cabot has commented publicly about the video or its fallout. Astronomer has not disclosed whether further leadership changes are under consideration.
