The bright lights of a Coldplay concert recently cast an unexpected shadow over two attendees. During a moment usually reserved for romance, a stadium’s “kiss cam” zeroed in on a couple in the crowd. What started as a seemingly sweet scene quickly turned awkward, revealing a story far more complicated than a simple public display of affection.
The pair, identified as Andy Byron, the CEO of an AI and data company called Astronomer, and Kristin Cabral, the Head of Human Resources at the same firm, found themselves under the giant screen’s gaze. This happened on a Wednesday evening, July 16, at Gillette Stadium, just outside Boston. As the camera zoomed in, Byron had his arm around Cabral’s chest, their fingers intertwined.
Realizing they were on the big screen, both reacted quickly. Cabral sharply pulled her hand away and turned her back, trying to hide her face. Byron ducked down, attempting to disappear from view. On stage, Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, first thought the camera had found a tender moment, saying, “Look at these two.” But their hasty retreat confused him. “Oh, what was that?” Martin wondered aloud. “Are they just having an affair, or are they just really shy?” He quickly added, “Oh my God, I hope we haven’t done anything bad.”
The short video clip of this moment quickly exploded on TikTok. It has gathered over 43.6 million views and more than 4.6 million likes. Online comments were swift and harsh, mostly aimed at Byron and Cabral. People dug into their backgrounds and shared details about their identities. Much sympathy was shown for Byron’s wife.
It turns out Byron and Cabral work closely at Astronomer, a company currently valued at about $1.2 billion. Cabral joined the company last November. At that time, Byron praised her 20 years of human resources experience and her “excellent leadership skills.” Cabral, on her LinkedIn profile, wrote that her talks with Byron before she was hired made her feel “energized” about the company’s “opportunity.” She also stated she felt “trusted by employees at every level, from the CEO to managers to associates.”
Records show that Andy Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron. Kristin Cabral’s divorce from her former husband, Kenneth Thornby, was finalized in 2022 after they separated in 2018, according to Massachusetts court documents. It is not clear if Cabral has remarried since.
The incident has caused a stir among those who know the two. A former colleague mentioned that Byron’s past employees were “laughing their asses off” about the captured moment. This source claimed that “group chats and networks of former employees are just everyone having a field day, laughing their asses off, and loving that he’s getting exposed.” The former colleague added that Byron had a reputation for being a “toxic boss.”
Source: New York Post