Under investigation.
I’m sure you’ve seen the video by now of Andy Byron, the CEO of tech company Astronomer, getting caught (allegedly) cheating on his wife with the company’s HR director Kristin Cabot during a Coldplay concert.
The viral clip shows Byron and Cabot cuddled up at the concert before getting exposed by the jumbotron camera operator. They quickly separated and tried to hide their faces, but by then the damage was already done. (Honestly their reaction made it way worse…he hit the ground and she ran away, making it clear that something was up). And not only that, they also got called out by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin:
“Oh look at these two. Oh come on, you’re okay. What? Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
Well the video quickly went viral, and the jokes and memes quickly followed. Social media users even found Byron’s wife and noticed that she removed her last name from her social media page before deactivating it altogether.
So far the couple (or alleged couple) have remained silent, despite the fact that they’ve been the main characters on the internet for two days now.
But the company just issued a statement on the incident, announcing that they’ve opened an investigation into the incident, while also putting to bed a rumor that the shocked woman beside them was another Astronomer employee:
“Astronomer 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 Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.
Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
Yesterday, a statement purporting to be from Byron quickly went viral, addressing the incident and even throwing shade at the band for exposing them.
“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.'”
The only problem is that the statement is totally fake. The Coldplay lyrics at the end should have been a giveaway. Also, the statement originated from an account called Peter Enis (get it, P. Enis?) that was an obvious parody account – though it’s since been suspended.
But in case that wasn’t enough to prove that it was a hoax, the tech company verified that it was not written by their CEO…though now they’ve confirmed that they’re looking into the matter.
