Pete DeJoy, the new interim CEO of Astronomer, has — like the rest of Us — seen the seemingly never-ending memes about his colleagues’ kiss cam scandal at a recent Coldplay concert.
DeJoy, who cofounded the tech company and runs the product division, recently dropped a “like” on former employee Zachary Hensley’s message about the viral moment.
“The last couple days have been … weird, as a former Astronomer employee. I’ve seen the memes (and shared more than a few), reconnected with folks I haven’t talked to in a couple of years, and felt a strange mix of pride, nostalgia and whiplash,” Hensley wrote via LinkedIn on Friday, July 18. “I won’t weigh in on the recent incident or the individuals involved, but I do want to say something about the company and the people.”
Hensley served as Astronomer’s vice president of technology and operations from 2019 to 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“We built something pretty rad during those years,” he recalled on Friday. “Yes, we built a product (or, products, I suppose. I lost count at which version of cloud we were on when I left), but we also built a team that cared deeply for one another.”
Hensley further noted that the entire team “genuinely loved and gave a s*** about each other.”
“Startups are weird. They’re intense. And if you weren’t in one during the pandemic, it’s hard to describe just how intense,” he added. “But I will always remember how many of us leaned in to support each other, even when it had nothing to do with work. That spirit didn’t disappear when I left. I still know many of the folks there, and I know they care. They care about the product. About the customers. But, most importantly, they care about each other.”
Astronomer made national headlines on Wednesday, July 16, after the company’s then-acting CEO Andy Byron was spotted at the Coldplay concert that night in Massachusetts. Byron was seen on a jumbotron, cuddling up to a woman later identified as Astronomer Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot.
After Byron and Cabot realized that they were on camera, they immediately tried to hide.
“Whoa, look at these two. Alright, come on. You’re OK,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped to the concertgoers, per social media footage. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy. I’m not quite sure what to do.”
Neither Byron nor Cabot, who are each reported to be married to other people, has publicly addressed their relationship status. Luxury Handbag Shopping has reached out for comment.
Despite Byron and Cabot’s silence in the wake of the scandal, many social media users and celebrities have dissected the viral moment and even made jokes about it.
“I’ve laughed at the memes, but I also know Astronomer is more than one moment or one person,” Hensley stressed on Friday. “It’s a team of smart, kind, driven people doing incredible work. And I’ll always be rooting for them. To the Astronomer crew — past and present — I love y’all. Keep going. Keep building. You’ve got this.”
Astronomer announced later on Friday that they planned to launch a “formal investigation” into the situation. Byron has since been placed on a leave of absence from his post.
“Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave,” a company spokesperson told Us in a statement. “We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days.”
