The Coldplay concert kiss cam moment that broke the internet may have left Andy Byron red-faced, but behind the scenes, his former employees are celebrating — and they’re not being quiet about it.
In the wake of Byron’s shocking public resignation as CEO of Astronomer, a new layer of drama has emerged: private group chats of ex-employees reportedly lighting up with memes, disbelief, and a whole lot of laughter. According to an insider who spoke with the New York Post, the fallout has become a form of poetic justice.
“Everybody’s laughing their ass off and enjoying the hell out of him getting exposed,” the source said. “It’s karma.”
The now-viral video — which shows Byron affectionately embracing Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s Chief People Officer, during a Coldplay concert while the two appear on the kiss cam — sparked immediate controversy. Both are reportedly married, though Byron has not publicly commented. His wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, has since removed his last name from her social media accounts, fueling speculation that the personal consequences are just as severe as the professional ones.
But for many who once worked under Byron, this is more than a viral moment — it’s vindication.
Described by some insiders as a “toxic” leader, Byron allegedly fostered a culture that pushed out talent and left morale low. “He ran the company like it was his personal playground,” one former staffer commented anonymously online. “Now the world gets to see what we dealt with.”
Astronomer has already confirmed a formal internal investigation is underway, though they’ve distanced themselves from the specifics of the scandal. In an official statement, the company emphasized its values and made clear that “leaders are expected to set the standard.”
That standard, many feel, was repeatedly broken by Byron long before the kiss cam.
Still, the biggest punchline in former employees’ chats? The fact that Byron’s undoing came not from a boardroom betrayal or financial scandal — but from a Coldplay song, a stadium camera, and a couple of unfortunate seconds caught on film.
“Of all the ways it could’ve gone down,” one ex-Astronomer product manager reportedly wrote, “he got taken out by ‘Fix You.’”
As Byron disappears from the company he once led, those who say they were sidelined, overworked, or undervalued during his tenure are watching his public unraveling in real time — and, apparently, enjoying every second of it.
The group chats are still buzzing. The memes are still flying.
And for many in the tech world, this isn’t just gossip — it’s closure.
