US tech CEO resigns after Coldplay concert embrace goes viral

A US tech company says its chief executive has quit after he was reportedly caught on a big screen at a Coldplay concert embracing a woman, in a clip that went viral.

Astronomer said in a statement: “Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.”

The clip showed a man and a woman hugging on a jumbo screen at the arena in Foxborough, Massachusetts, before they abruptly ducked and hid from the camera.

The pair were identified in US media as Andy Byron, a married chief executive of Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, the firm’s chief people officer. The BBC has been unable to independently confirm the identities of either person in the video.

The company statement said on Saturday: “As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding.

“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”

The New York-based firm said its board would begin a search for the next leader and their chief product officer would keep serving as interim CEO.

The video of the pair swaying to music at Wednesday night’s concert and quickly trying to hide gained millions of views.

After seeing the pair duck, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin said to the crowd: “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”

Astronomer announced it was launching an investigation into the relationship and placed the CEO on leave shortly after the video went viral.