Coldplay concert kiss cam costs Astronomer CEO his Job, but HR chief's fate still unclear

Coldplay concert

A light-hearted moment at a Coldplay concert has turned into a serious workplace scandal. A short "Kiss Cam" clip from the Boston show showed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron getting cozy with the company’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot. The video quickly went viral, and within a day, Byron resigned from his role.

But here’s where it gets interesting. While Byron has stepped down and been removed from the company’s leadership page, Kristin Cabot is still technically employed. She is currently on leave, but she hasn’t been fired. And that has raised a lot of questions.

Why only the CEO is out
According to a report by the New York Post, there may be legal and internal reasons behind the different treatment. Some experts say that firing someone, especially the head of HR, is not always simple. If the company doesn’t have clear evidence of a policy violation, it could face legal trouble for acting too quickly.

One lawyer said that in a big company, you can’t just fire someone because of bad headlines. If Kristin Cabot’s actions were known or approved within the company, they might have to go through a formal process before making a decision.

Others believe the company could be working on a quiet exit deal with Cabot. That could include severance pay or other terms, which take time to negotiate. Another lawyer pointed out that we’ve only seen a short video clip. Cabot might have her own side of the story that hasn’t come out yet.
Still no word from Kristin Cabot

Since the video surfaced, Cabot has deactivated her LinkedIn account and hasn’t made any public statement. Meanwhile, Byron’s resignation has been confirmed. Astronomer said its cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is now serving as interim CEO while the company searches for a replacement.

Both Byron and Cabot were placed on leave right after the incident. But so far, only Byron has officially stepped away from the company.

It’s unclear what will happen next. Will Cabot return to her role, or will she also exit quietly? For now, Astronomer is staying quiet, and the story continues to unfold.