In a bizarre twist of fate, an employee at an astronomy company was unexpectedly fired after inadvertently exposing an affair between the CEO, Andy Byron, and HR manager, Kristin Cabot. The employee, simply tasked with booking concert tickets, unknowingly uncovered the corporate scandal that had been carefully hidden behind closed doors. What was meant to be an innocent action—a task performed like any other—ended up unraveling a web of lies that shook the very foundation of the company. This shocking turn of events raises a profound question: How can corporate loyalty survive when the truth is revealed in such an unforeseen manner? While the truth often has a way of coming to light, it’s clear that the cost can be unexpectedly high—leaving the employee to pay the price for their unwitting role in exposing the scandal.

The wife of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who was caught on a jumbotron at a Coldplay concert embracing his company’s chief human resources officer, changed her last name on Facebook before deactivating her account.

Megan Kerrigan Byron removed her last name and then swiftly deleted her Facebook account following the viral cheating allegations.

Newsweek contacted Astronomer for comment via email on Friday outside regular working hours.

A screenshot of Megan Kerrigan Byron’s Facebook account, which has since been deleted. Facebook

The Context

Footage from the concert showed the Astronomer CEO hugging Kristin Cabot, his company’s chief people officer, from behind on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

When the pair realized they were on camera, they quickly sprang apart and ducked out of the camera’s view. The footage of Byron and Cabot canoodling quickly went viral, with the original video amassing more than 45 million views on TikTok and millions more in reposts across other platforms.

What To Know

In the video, following Byron and Cabot’s response to the camera, Coldplay front man Chris Martin can be heard saying, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his colleague Kristin Cabot on a jumbotron at a Coldplay concert. TikTok/screenshot

Byron’s wife deleted her Facebook page after her account was inundated with comments from people about the alleged affair.

Byron also appears to have deleted his LinkedIn profile, with the URL now leading to an error message.

The CEO is still married, and Cabot was reportedly previously married to Kenneth Thornby, with their divorce being finalized in 2022.

Byron has been at the tech company since July 2023, while Cabot joined in November 2024, according to LinkedIn.

In a news release announcing her hiring, Byron praised Cabot for her “exceptional leadership and deep expertise” and her “passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces.”

Chris Martin of Coldplay performing at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, on July 7. Robert Okine/Getty Images
None of the people involved has made a public statement about the incident. While a statement of apology attributed to Byron circulated on social media, Astronomer confirmed that it was not real.

Astronomer is a private data infrastructure startup that achieved “unicorn” status in 2022 with a valuation exceeding $1 billion.

What People Are Saying

Ry Walker, Astronomer’s former CEO, wrote on X: “For those asking—I’m no longer involved in @astronomerio—yes I was co-founder and early CEO—not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether Byron, Cabot or Astronomer will respond publicly to the alleged cheating scandal, which continues to grip social media users.