Who Is Pete DeJoy? Astronomer’s Interim CEO Speaks Up After Coldplay Scandal

Astronomer’s interim CEO and co-founder, Pete DeJoy, has made his first public statement following his appointment on July 19, expressing a desire to steer the tech startup beyond the recent viral incident involving former CEO Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot. Byron had stepped down from the position after he was caught on camera with a female coworker and then trying to hide during a Coldplay show in Boston, Massachusetts.

Reflecting on the situation, DeJoy described the intense media focus following the Coldplay concert scandal as “unusual and surreal,” signalling his commitment to move the company forward amid the upheaval.

Astronomer CEO Pete DeJoy's Statement on LinkedIn

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. 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.

I’m stepping into this role with a wholehearted commitment to taking care of our people and delivering for our customers. Astronomer’s foundation remains strong, built around the thriving Apache Airflow community. Our opportunity to build a DataOps platform for the age of AI remains massive. And our story is very much still being written.

Who is Pete DeJoy?

DeJoy graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In January 2023, he was appointed vice-president for product at Astronomer, a data firm he co-founded in 2017. In February 2025, he was hired as chief product officer.

 While there is not much information about his family, reports claim that he resides with his spouse at Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. 

What happened at the Coldplay concert?

During the concert on Wednesday, July 16, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, lead singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his “Jumbotron Song,” when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on.

Astronomer’s former CEO Andy Byron and the company's chief people officer Kristin Cabot were caught snuggling on camera. As the camera lingered on them, both quickly pulled apart and attempted to shield their faces, sparking a frenzy of online speculation. The band's frontman, Chris Martin, mused that they must be “having an affair.”

Soon, Byron rushed to hide his face behind the barriers, while Cabot remained in the spotlight as she hid her face with her hands. “Holy sh-t. I hope we didn’t do something bad,” Martin said, according to additional footage taken right after.

What happened to Andy Byron?

In the hours after the video went viral, Astronomer addressed the situation, announcing in a LinkedIn post that Byron had been placed on leave and that the board of directors had launched a formal investigation.

The company said a day later that Andy Byron had resigned, and Pete DeJoy was tapped as interim CEO. Chief HR officer Kristin Cabot still remains on Astronomer payroll, reports LiveMint.