Tech CEO filmed hugging up VP of HR on a Jumbotron at a concert, they're both married to other people- DINT 160
What are the techspectations when attending a concert with colleagues?
At the intersection of tech, race, and gender a tech CEO did the unthinkable for someone in the industry. He failed to realize the widespread usage of tech to record and track people.
Andy Byron attended a concert with a colleague in Boston. Two days later, he resigned from his position as CEO of Astronomer, a workflow and data management company based in New York.
We know how it goes in tech, we’ve all attended concerts with colleagues before. What we, most likely, haven’t done is wrap our arms around the waist of the company’s chief human resources officer and rock slowly behind her mouthing the words to your favorite song.
Byron did that. And he’is no longer CEO.
Clearly he was found out, but many executives caught in compromising positions remain in their roles, get a divorce, and keep it moving.
A key difference is that Byron was indiscreet in the betrayal of his wedding vows. He attended a concert of one of the world’s most popular bands, Coldplay, and got into an intimate position with someone in his direct line of report.
As tech would have it, concert producers panned the crowd during Coldplay’s song “Jumbotron.” Andy Byron and the woman he was cuddling with were filmed and broadcast live on Foxborough Stadium’s jumbotron. Immediately they split apart and hid.
Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, didn’t let the moment go to waste. In the middle of the song he mentioned the couple was either having an affair or were incredibly shy. He got it right the first time.
Byron underestimated the power of his very own industry. After Chris Martin’s prompting, the Internet took action, within minutes the couple was outed with sleuths exposing their first and last names, the company they work for and the roles they held at said company.
The incident earned so much scrutiny by the public, Byron had no other option but to resign and hopefully pull attention away from the company and maybe himself.
This story underlines the power of research in the public sphere. When in public, assume you’re being recorded.
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