(AP) – The CEO of the IT company featured in a widely shared video embracing an employee during a Coldplay concert has resigned from his position.
Andy Byron stepped down from his post as CEO of Astronomer Inc., based in Cincinnati, according to a statement released by the company on Saturday on LinkedIn.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. We expect our leaders to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company said in its LinkedIn post.
The move comes one day after the company announced that Byron had been placed on leave and that the board had initiated a formal investigation into the viral jumbotron incident. A company spokesperson later confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press that it was Byron and Astronomer’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, who appeared in the video.
The brief video clip shows Byron and Cabot captured on the venue’s jumboTron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during a Coldplay concert on Wednesday.
Lead singer Chris Martin urged the cameras to scan the crowd for his “Jumbotron Song,” as he sings lines about the people the camera lingers on.
“Or they’re having an affair or they’re simply very shy,” he quipped.
Netizens identified the man as the CEO of a U.S.-based company and the woman as his chief human resources officer.
Pete DeJoy, cofounder and chief product officer of Astronomer, has been named interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron’s successor.
It’s easy to overlook, but most concert venues post signs informing audiences that they may be filmed during the event. It’s common practice, especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films.
