By Gloria Nosa
Kristin Cabot, the Chief Human Resources Officer at data orchestration firm Astronomer, has officially resigned from her role just over a week after she was captured in a controversial kiss cam moment with the company’s CEO during a Coldplay concert.
The now-viral clip, which emerged from the band’s recent U.S. tour stop, showed Cabot and Astronomer CEO Ry Walker sharing what appeared to be a romantic kiss on the jumbotron. The incident sparked immediate backlash across social media and within professional circles due to the apparent breach of corporate ethics and workplace boundaries, especially considering Cabot’s position as the company’s top HR executive.
Sources close to the company confirmed that Cabot’s departure was not part of a pre-planned transition, and internal discussions regarding her future at the company began shortly after the video began circulating online.
In a brief internal memo sent to Astronomer staff and later confirmed by a company spokesperson, Cabot wrote:
“In light of recent events and the attention they have brought, I’ve decided it is in the best interest of the company, and my professional integrity, to step down. I remain proud of the culture we’ve built together.”
Neither Cabot nor CEO Ry Walker has publicly addressed the nature of their relationship, but critics quickly raised concerns about power dynamics, favoritism, and potential conflicts of interest given Cabot’s responsibilities in overseeing workplace conduct policies.
Walker remains in his role as CEO, and the company has not indicated any formal disciplinary action against him. However, the situation has raised broader discussions in tech and corporate governance spaces about executive accountability, professional boundaries, and the unique pressures of working relationships in fast-paced startup environments.
Astronomer, a Cincinnati-based company known for managing data pipelines with Apache Airflow, issued a short statement:
“Kristin Cabot has resigned from her position as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective immediately. We thank her for her contributions and wish her success in her future endeavors.”
The company has yet to announce an interim or permanent replacement for the HR leadership role.
As the dust settles, industry analysts note that while such public incidents are rare, they underscore the importance of maintaining transparency and clear ethical standards at the highest levels of organizational leadership—especially in high-growth tech environments.
