You gotta be careful in 2025… fake AI news stories and fabricated statements from CEOs about their affairs can fool anybody.
I’m sure that by now you’ve heard the news that a tech CEO was caught red-handed (allegedly) cheating on his spouse at a Coldplay concert. The story – albeit a very personal one at the root of things – has captured the intention of the social media world. Everyone wants to know more about Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his alleged affair with his company’s human resources chief Kristin Cabot.
If you haven’t seen the video already, the viral clips shows Byron and his work subordinate cuddled up at the concert, and getting exposed by the jumbotron camera operator. They quickly separated and tried to hide their faces, but the damage was already done. Social media is forever, and one person just so happened to be recording the proceedings when it all went down. And it’s wild to hear Coldplay frontman Chris Martin narrate what was unfolding in real time:
“Oh look at these two. Oh come on, you’re okay. What? Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
I’m not a betting man, but that doesn’t look like two introverted people to me… it looks like two guilty people.
That video and the intricate story that has blossomed from it has captivated the internet. People have been eating up anything and everything about the Astronomer CEO, which is probably why many social media users fell for what appears to be a fake statement from the Astronomer CEO himself: Andy Byron.
In the defense of people online, some typically credible social media accounts have shared the statement believing that it’s real. Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones even briefly shared the image of the statement – and provided commentary on it – before he deleted it. If you are to look through it, there are parts that seem to be believable.
But the Coldplay lyrics that were featured at the very end made my alarm bells go off. Here’s how it reads:
“I want to acknowledge the moment that’s been circulating online, and the disappointment it’s caused. What was supposed to be a night of music and joy turned into a deeply personal mistake playing out on a very public stage. 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.
This is not who I want to be or how I want to represent the company I helped build. I’m taking time to reflect, to take accountability and to figure out the next steps, personally and professionally. I ask for privacy as I navigate that process. 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. As a friend once sang: ‘Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.'”
Yeah… no way that someone caught cheating at a Coldplay concert would then turn around and quote the song “Fix You” by the band that helped expose them (a hilarious touch though).
If my internet research serves me right, it appears that the fake statement originated from a fake CBS News account from a reporter suspiciously named Peter Enis (I’ll let you figure that one out if you don’t get it). Pair that with the fact that there’s no official statement coming from the Astronomer organization or other credible news sources – and that Byron probably wouldn’t move to put out a statement this quickly – and you’ve got yourself what seems to be a believable-but-definitely-fake statement.
Be careful what you believe on the internet! Especially when it has to do with a viral story like this one…
