A US tech company placed its chief executive officer on leave after an embrace caught on a big screen at a Coldplay concert — rumoured to involve two of the firm’s employees went viral, multiple news outlets reported on Saturday.
In the clip, which initially appeared on a giant screen at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough Massachusetts, two people are seen with their arms wrapped around each other.
When their faces appear for thousands to see, the man and woman abruptly duck and hide from the camera.
Reports that both are executives at the company Astronomer and rumours of an affair sparked by lead singer Chris Martin’s comment then spread online, BBC News reported on Saturday.
On Friday, the company confirmed that its CEO Andy Byron had been placed on leave.
According to the BBC, Byron has been with Astronomer since July 2023. He himself has not confirmed himself as being the man seen in the video.
The woman was identified online as the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, who has been with Astronomer since November 2024. She has not confirmed she was in the video either, BBC added.
The broadcaster also said that it has been unable to independently confirm the identities of either of the two people in the video.
The video of the pair swaying to music, then quickly trying to hide exploded on the internet after the concert on Wednesday night.
After seeing the pair hide, Coldplay’s Martin said to the crowd: “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
The company officially issued a statement on Friday more than 24 hours after the story exploded, due in part to Byron’s slow resignation and exit package negotiations, Axios reported citing a company source.
The initial video posted to TikTok received millions of views. It was then shared across platforms, turned into memes and made fun of on television programmes.
Two days after the internet became flooded with chatter about the incident, Astronomer put out a statement announcing an investigation into the matter, without specifying the video.
It noted that the now suspended CEO had not released a personal statement, and that reports saying otherwise were incorrect. Fake statements purportedly from Byron went viral on Thursday on social media.
The company also said that there were no other employees in the video.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” the statement read. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.”
Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy has been appointed interim CEO, the BBC added.
American news outlet CNN reported that Coldplay was performing “The Jumbotron Song” when the camera turned to a man and woman cuddling as they watched the stage.
The outlet added that it reached out to a representative for Coldplay for comment.
The video quickly went viral and internet sleuths were the first to identify Byron and Cabot. Social media has been so invested that there are now a slew of memes and comedic videos poking fun at the incident, CNN said.
