Breaking: “Surreal “: Astronomer CEO speaks out about Andy Byron’s Coldplay scandal, says company has now become a household name and the events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies….see more

The new CEO of data tech company Astronomer has addressed the infamous Coldplay “Kiss Cam” scandal that prompted the last person in his position to resign.

Co-founder Pete DeJoy assumed the role of interim CEO after a viral video reportedly showed CEO Andy Byron and the company’s chief people officer embracing on the Jumbotron during a July 18 show, according to the New York Times.

Following the scandal, the company announced via posts to X and LinkedIn that Byron had “tendered his resignation.”

In a new LinkedIn post titled “Moving Forward at Astronomer,” DeJoy broke his silence on the controversy with a more positive take on the situation.

The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies — let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world — ever encounter,” DeJoy wrote in the Monday, July 21 post.

“The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name,” he said.

“From starting a software company in Cincinnati, Ohio, to keeping the lights on through the collapse of the bank that held all our cash, to scaling from 30 to 300 people during a global pandemic that demanded we do it all without ever being in the same room,” DeJoy wrote. “And yet, we’re still here.”