It takes a special kind of bad luck to get caught on the big screen at a concert with someone who isn’t your spouse. But that’s exactly what happened to Andy Byron, the CEO of Astronomer. He was at the Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, July 16. The stadium holds more than 65,000 people.
Mid-show, Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, decided to bring out the classic Kiss Cam. This is a common sight at sports events like those held at Gillette, home of the New England Patriots. As the camera moved over the crowd, it landed on Byron, who is 50 years old. His arms were around Kristin Cabot, his company’s chief people officer.
Now, here’s the kicker: Byron is married. His wife is Megan Kerrigan Byron, not Ms. Cabot. Newsweek confirmed his wife’s name.
The moment the camera zoomed in, Andy Byron quickly ducked down. He tried to get out of the shot. Ms. Cabot turned away and covered her face. Neither seemed eager to be seen on the huge jumbotron.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin, 48, made a lighthearted comment. "Oh, either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy," he said. The crowd roared with laughter. It was a moment of awkward amusement for everyone watching.
The video quickly spread online. Social media users tracked down Megan Kerrigan Byron’s Facebook page. Her page was then flooded with comments. It has since been taken down. The original camera shot that started it all was shared widely, notably by PopCrave on X (formerly Twitter).
Astronomer is a company that focuses on data. Their website says they are behind Astro. Astro is a top platform for managing and observing data, powered by Apache Airflow. The company helps build data products. These products aim to give insights, unlock the value of artificial intelligence, and power apps that use data.
Byron took over as CEO of Astronomer in July 2023. This is according to his LinkedIn page. Before that, he was president of a tech company called Lacework from 2019 to 2022. Ms. Cabot joined Astronomer in 2024. She came from Neo4j, a company that manages graph databases.
In a press release announcing Ms. Cabot’s hiring, Byron spoke highly of her. He stated that people are Astronomer’s most valuable asset. He said Ms. Cabot’s leadership and experience would be key as the company grows fast. He called her a known leader in several growing companies. He also noted her passion for creating diverse and collaborative workplaces.
Ms. Cabot also spoke in that same press release. She pointed out that many companies don’t see the value of a strong human resources team. She said it’s more than just benefits or office meals. Ms. Cabot felt good about her talks with Byron and the Astronomer leadership. She was excited about the chances there. It’s a twist of fate that her public entry into the company now has this very public moment tied to it.