Yikes!
Jumbocringe
The CEO of an AI company has come under heavy scrutiny after being caught by a Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert in Boston — while romantically embracing one of his employees.
The footage, which went viral on social media on Thursday, shows Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the firm's chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, tightly embracing, only to awkwardly dash out of the frame.
Both are reportedly married with kids.
"Oh, look at these two," Coldplay singer Chris Martin narrated, as Byron comically ducked out of view after realizing he was on screen. "Oh, what... either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy."
The unfortunate event drew the ire of online pundits.
"Serves them right tbh," one user on Reddit argued. "Cheating catches up with you eventually."
Others pointed to a second woman on the left of the frame, covering her face with her hands.
"She knows them both and realizes her friends are cooked," one user suggested.
Employee Engagement
The purported affair will likely lead to plenty of questions among the ranks of Byron's New York City-based company, which advertises a baffling array of computing buzzwords related to machine learning and automation — "empowers data teams to bring mission-critical software, analytics, & AI to life" — on its website.
Some sleuthing on LinkedIn reveals that Cabot joined Astronomer in November.
"Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory," Byron said of Cabot in a press release at the time.
Neither Cabot nor Byron has publicly commented on the matter. But if there's one certainty, the cringeworthy ordeal will likely make for some extremely awkward meetings.
The purported affair drew a huge amount of attention online. Newsweek found that Byron's wife's Facebook page, which has since been taken down, has been pummelled with comments, with onlookers pointing out her husband's infidelity.
To many, the whole thing could've easily been avoided.
"lol if they’d have just stuck it out and smiled for the camera this would never have surfaced as virally as it did,” one Reddit user posited.
"Cost of a concert: Hotel $200, tickets $600, food/drinks $150, divorce attorney $50,000," one Instagram user joked.
"Two rules, never try to hide from the Jumbotron and never run from cops or dogs," another X user advised.
More on cheating: OpenAI Scientists' Efforts to Make an AI Lie and Cheat Less Backfired Spectacularly
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