Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has been placed on leave following a viral incident at a Coldplay concert.
“Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave,” his software company announced on X on July 18.
“We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days,” it added.
Byron’s administrative leave comes amid backlash he’s been facing for allegedly dodging a “kiss cam” at a recent Coldplay concert.
NBC News has not independently confirmed that Byron was in the footage and has since reached out for comment. Social media users are the ones who identified Byron in the video and alleged that he might be with another employee.
In the video, a camera panned over to a male who was seen embracing a woman from behind while they watched Coldplay perform onstage. However, once the duo noticed that they were on the jumbotron, they immediately hid their faces from view, which prompted Chris Martin to say, โEither theyโre having an affair or theyโre just very shy.โ
The moment has since gone viral, causing Astronomer to release a statement about the incident.
On X, it said 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 Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly,” it added. “…No other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
Since the viral moment, a fake post by Coldplay had been circulating online saying they’re “introducing camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces.”
However, the Grammy-winning band has confirmed to TODAY.com that the post is fake.
Coldplayโs tour is set to continue on July 19 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
