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A former senior HR executive has spoken publicly about the consequences of a viral video that captured her embracing her boss at a Coldplay concert, saying the harassment that followed has yet to stop.
Kristin Cabot was filmed hugging Andy Byron, then chief executive of tech company Astronomer, during a show in Foxborough, Massachusetts in July. When the pair realized they were on the venue’s big screen, they ducked out of view as Coldplay frontman Chris Martin told the crowd: “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
The clip spread rapidly online, drawing millions of views and widespread commentary. Within days, Astronomer announced that Byron would be placed on leave and investigated. He later resigned. Cabot stepped down from her role as Chief People Officer shortly afterward.
Speaking to The Times, Cabot said she is now searching for work but has been told she is “unemployable.”
“I became a meme, I was the most maligned HR manager in HR history,” she said.
Harassment and personal impact
Cabot told The Times that while online attention faded quickly, the personal consequences intensified. “It’s not over for me, and it’s not over for my kids. The harassment never ended,” she said.
She has two children, who she said are now reluctant to be seen with her in public. “They’re mad at me. And they can be mad at me for the rest of their lives. I have to take that,” she said.
In a separate interview with The New York Times, Cabot said she was not in a sexual relationship with Byron and that the pair had never kissed prior to the concert, although she acknowledged having had a “crush” on him.
“I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,” she said, adding: “I took accountability and I gave up my career for that.”
Cabot questioned whether Byron faced similar scrutiny, telling The Times: “I think as a woman, as women always do, I took the bulk of the abuse.”
She said she was labeled a “gold-digger” and accused of having “slept my way to the top,” claims she said were “just couldn’t be further from reality.”
Doxxing, threats, and accountability
At the height of the backlash, Cabot said her appearance and clothing were picked apart online, with public figures also weighing in. She told The New York Times that she received threatening messages, including one that read: “I’m coming for you.”
Her private details were shared online, and she said she was inundated with up to 600 calls a day, alongside what she described as 50 or 60 death threats. “My kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die,” she said.
Astronomer issued a statement saying: “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.” The company later confirmed that Byron’s resignation had been accepted.
Cabot said she and Byron briefly exchanged “crisis management advice” before deciding to cut contact so “everyone could move on and heal.”
