Astronomer co-founder breaks silence on CEO Andy Byron following controversy over alleged infidelity at a Coldplay concert

On July 16, 2025, during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Boston, a kiss cam captured Andy Byron, CEO of the tech startup Astronomer, hugging his HR director, Kristin Cabot . The images quickly spread on platforms like TikTok and X, sparking a wave of comments, memes, and theories that led to the viral scandal.

Now, the company has announced the opening of an investigation into this case, which has put the company in the public spotlight. In a statement, they discussed the values the executive aligned with the company should represent. Now, the company's co-founder, Ry Walker, has spoken out about his relationship with Byron.

On social media, users began searching for ideas from executives at the company run by the man involved in the controversy. They discovered Ry's profile on X.

On his account, he posted that he is "no longer involved" with the tech company and explained his relationship with the company. "For those asking: I am no longer involved with Astronomer. Yes, I was a co-founder and CEO in the early years, but I have not been part of the team or the board since 2022," he stated.

He also stated that he has no information regarding the controversy that has been dubbed ColdplayGate on social media. This is intended to distance himself from the controversy generated by Byron's behavior, which was criticized on social media.

Despite his departure, Walker shared a brief insight into Byron, with whom he claims to have had very little direct contact: “ I've only been on a call with him once ,” he said. He also noted that his leadership was highly valued within the team.

On the other hand, he described him as a "professional" and called the incident involving him "a regrettable event and a big surprise." He then explained other topics regarding his role as company leader and now CEO of another company.

Walker's statements come at a time when public pressure on Astronomer is mounting. The released images sparked a wave of reactions. Several users even shared a statement purportedly signed by Byron in which he apologized and quoted lines from Coldplay songs. However, the company itself asserted that it was not real.

The reputational impact has also affected Megan Kerrigan, Byron's wife, who deleted her social media accounts following the incident. Kristin Cabot also deactivated recent posts and her LinkedIn profile was temporarily restricted. Neither has issued any public statements since the scandal broke.

Due to these events, the Astronomer board of directors stated that they have decided to open an internal investigation to clarify the facts. They also assured that they would provide answers promptly and that, moreover, they are the only ones who will provide the information.

On the other hand, they confirmed that the woman seen laughing in the video was not Alyssa Stoddard and that, as can be seen in the images, there are no other employees from the company in the video.

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