In July 2025, during a Coldplay concert, the kiss cam showed two fans who did not react with their usual joyful laughter and wave of the hand. Instead, they froze and ducked, hoping the camera would get off of them.
In short, people knew Andy Byron, the former CEO of the tech firm Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, the company’s former chief people officer. Both were married. Both were top executives. Both have since left their former positions in quick succession as the story came to light.
Nearly six months later, Cabot has broken her silence to share her account of what happened that night and the cost it has brought her.
“I Made a Bad Decision”
When interviewed by The New York Times, Cabot did not downplay the incident that negatively affected her career as trivial.
“I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss. And it’s not nothing,” she explained.
Cabot stated that the Coldplay moment was more than just an internet misunderstanding. She knew the implications and accepted them.
“I took accountability, and I gave up my career for that,” she said with conviction. “That’s the price I chose to pay.”
However, Cabot also drew a line between accountability and the severity of online outrage.
“I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up,” she said. “But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them.”
A Cliché Power Dynamic, Shown Clearly
Cabot acknowledged the optics of the situation, recognizing just how bad it looked.
“I was so embarrassed and so horrified, I’m the head of H.R., andhe’ss the C.E.O. It’s, like, so cliché and so bad,” Cabot said.
The irony was evident. The person who was supposed to manage the company culture and the welfare of the employees was involved in the scandal involving the company’s most senior leader.
“We both just sat there with our heads in our hands, like, ‘What just happened?'”
It was quickly followed by a spate of memes, headlines, and comments that extended well beyond the tech community.
Minimal Contact, Public Silence
Since the two quit, Cabot stated that she and Byron have barely spoken.
They made this choice deliberately.
“Speaking with each other was going to make it too hard for everyone to move on and heal.”
The lack of conversation was in marked contrast to the intimacies implied in the viral video. Whatever had existed between them was now abruptly at an end, replaced by lawsuits, damage control, and personal accounting.
