Thought Leadership
An alleged affair revealed by the so-called Kiss cam at a Coldplay concert has been making headlines online for days. Now the employer of the couple caught reacts.
The “Kiss-Cam” debacle at a Coldplay concert has had consequences for the head of a software company. Andy Byron was put on leave and a co-founder took over the top job on an interim basis, according to the company Astronomer. The married top manager was filmed by the auditorium camera at the Coldplay gig near Boston in an embrace with another woman – who was identified by internet users as the company’s HR manager.
Astronomer was slow to comment on the scandal, which has been causing a stir online for days. An initial statement said that the company’s board of directors had launched an investigation. According to the website “Axios”, the HR manager, who Astronomer itself has not yet commented on, has also been suspended. The company’s response was delayed by negotiations with the boss to resign, according to a source. US companies often have strict rules against relationships between employees.
Turn away and hide
A viral video on online networks showed a gray-haired man and a blonde woman listening to the Coldplay concert in an intimate embrace. It was the couple’s reaction to this that caused a stir. When the couple recognized themselves on the screen in the hall, the woman put her hands to her face and turned away, while the man crouched down and hid. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” commented Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Internet users later recognized the two as managers of Astronomer – a software company that counts many large companies among its customers, but is hardly known itself. However, another woman who can be seen in the video was wrongly named by the online detectives as another employee of the company. As Astronomer emphasizes, she was not part of the company – and no other employees can be seen in the clip.
dpa
