Who is Kristin Cabot? Astronomer’s HR head caught getting ‘cozy’ with CEO Andy Bryon at Coldplay
Andy Byron, the CEO of billion-dollar tech startup Astronomer, is facing intense backlash after a video of him hugging his chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, went viral online.
The clip, originally posted on TikTok, shows Byron embracing Cabot from behind as they appeared on the jumbotron during a Coldplay concert at Boston’s Gillette Stadium. Frontman Chris Martin even commented on the moment, joking, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy,” as the crowd laughed and cheered. Both Byron and Cabot quickly turned away from the camera—Cabot covered her face, and Byron ducked.
That brief moment has since turned into a firestorm.
The video has racked up over 20 million views, with internet users quickly identifying the two executives. Byron, who is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron and has two sons, owns a home near the stadium. It’s unclear if his wife was also at the concert, but her social media tells a story of its own—her Facebook page was deleted shortly after the clip went viral, and before that, she had removed her husband’s last name from her profile.
Neither Megan Kerrigan, Byron, nor Cabot has commented publicly.
Astronomer has also gone silent, disabling comments on its social media pages.
Even Coldplay got in on the buzz, posting this cheeky message on X:
“Starting with our next show, we’re introducing camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces.”
What was once a private moment became public drama. Users even flooded Byron’s LinkedIn with snarky remarks, many referencing Coldplay lyrics like, “Lights did not guide Andy home,” from the song Fix You. One person bluntly asked, “Who is the lady on the jumbotron, Andy?”
Byron, who became CEO in 2023, has since deleted his LinkedIn profile.
Cabot—also known by the last name Thornby—joined Astronomer in late 2024. She’s held leadership roles at several tech companies, including ObserveIT and Proofpoint. Her current relationship status remains unclear.
Astronomer, a private data infrastructure company that hit unicorn status in 2022, recently moved its HQ to New York City and secured $93 million in Series D funding from investors like Bain Capital Ventures and Salesforce Ventures.
As the internet continues to buzz with speculation, one thing is clear—this unexpected concert cameo has turned into a major PR nightmare.
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