Astronomer’s New Interim CEO Addresses Recent Controversy
Pete DeJoy has officially taken on the role of interim CEO at Astronomer following the departure of Andy Byron. His appointment came after a viral incident that unfolded during a Coldplay concert, which led to significant public attention and ultimately prompted Byron’s resignation.
The incident occurred on July 16 when a video surfaced showing Andy Byron, the former CEO, and Kristin Cabot, the Head of Human Resources, embracing during a “kiss cam” segment at the concert. The moment was captured on a large screen at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and quickly spread across social media platforms. Both individuals immediately separated upon realizing they were being shown on the jumbotron, with Byron stepping out of frame and Cabot turning away from the camera.
Despite the widespread attention, DeJoy did not directly reference either Byron or Cabot in his statement. Instead, he focused on the broader implications for the company and its future direction. In a post titled “Moving Forward at Astronomer” on LinkedIn, DeJoy acknowledged the unusual level of media coverage the company has received, noting that such attention is rare for startups in the data and AI space.
“The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies—let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world—ever encounter,” DeJoy wrote. “The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.”
DeJoy emphasized the resilience of the company, highlighting its journey from a small software firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio. He described how the company has overcome numerous challenges, including navigating financial difficulties when the bank holding their cash collapsed, and scaling from 30 to 300 employees during the global pandemic.
“We’ve emerged stronger each time,” he said. “We’re here because Astronomer is built by people who live to solve hard problems, stay late to fix what’s broken, and care deeply about doing things the right way.”
He also stressed the importance of customer trust, stating that the company is entrusted with some of the most ambitious data and AI projects. DeJoy concluded by reaffirming his commitment to supporting the team and delivering value to customers.
“Astronomer’s foundation is strong and it’s constructed around the flourishing Apache Airflow community,” he said. “The company story is still being written, and our opportunity to create a DataOps platform in the age of AI remains massive.”
DeJoy expressed gratitude to the Astronomer team, the community, and customers for their continued support. As the company moves forward, the focus will remain on growth, innovation, and maintaining the core values that have driven its success thus far.
