On 16 July, at a globally popular Coldplay concert, the CEO of the US tech company Astronomer, Andy Byron, caused an uncomfortable incident. During the concert, he hugged a female official who is the head of HR at his company. In this context, it has recently been claimed in the media that Andy Byron has apologized for the incident. A picture has also been attached in the widely circulated reports claiming Byron issued an apology statement.
In the report published on this matter, the statement attributed to Byron says: “In a recently released statement, Byron says, ‘The night was meant to be full of music and joy, but it turned into a deeply personal mistake — in public. I sincerely apologize to my wife, my family, and the Astronomer team. As a partner, father, and leader, you expect better from me, and I believe you deserve it.’”
Criticizing himself, Byron allegedly adds, “I don’t want to be someone who represents the company I built in this way. I am taking time for self-reflection, to take responsibility, and to decide what I will do next personally and professionally. During this process, I ask everyone for privacy.”
He then says, “I am also concerned that a private moment was shared publicly without my consent. I respect artists and the entertainment world, but I hope we all think a little more deeply. How ethical is it to turn someone else’s private moment into public mockery?”
Finally, quoting a line from a friend’s song, he allegedly says, “‘The light will guide your way to the destination, and burn through your bones, but I will try to heal you.’”
Reports promoting this claim include Inqilab and Bangi News.
You can also see the post shared on the media’s Facebook page here (archived).
Instagram post promoting the same claim is visible here (archived).
Threads post by the same outlet can be found here (archived).
Fact-check
According to an investigation by the Rumor Scanner team, the claim that Andy Byron, CEO of the US tech company Astronomer, apologized over the Coldplay concert incident is false. In fact, Astronomer stated that the statement originated from a parody account.
Reviewing Astronomer’s official X account, a 19 July post states: “Andy Byron did not release any statement; reports suggesting otherwise are completely false.”
Another post on 19 July confirmed that Byron was placed on leave, and on 20 July, a follow-up post stated: “As previously noted, Astronomer has been guided by core values and culture from its founding. We remain committed to these. We expect the highest standards of conduct and accountability from our leaders, and recently, those standards were not met. Andy Byron has submitted his resignation, which the Board has accepted. The search for a new CEO has begun. In the interim, co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete Dizoi will continue as acting CEO.”
Nowhere in these official updates was there any apology from Byron.
Additionally, at the time the reports were published, there was no LinkedIn or other social media presence found for Byron.
In response to whether the viral statement was genuine, Astronomer’s former CEO and co-founder Ry Walker stated it is “super fake.”
A fact-check by AFP further confirmed that the statement was fake. Astronomer’s Senior VP of Marketing, Mark Wheeler, told AFP, “The statement circulating online in Andy Byron’s name is entirely fake. It was spread by a troll account and is undoubtedly fabricated.”
According to the AFP report, the troll account in question was “@PeterEnisCBS,” which posted the fake apology on 17 July and was later suspended for violating platform policies. This account falsely claimed to be “Peter Enis” from CBS News, but no such reporter exists on the CBS website. A screenshot of the account’s bio showed it was at one time labeled as a “parody.” It’s still unknown if the account belonged to any media professional.
Moreover, keyword searches did not return any credible sources supporting the claim that the statement was Byron’s.
Conclusion
The claim that Andy Byron, CEO of the US tech company Astronomer, issued an apology following the Coldplay concert incident is false.
Sources
- Astronomer – X Post
- Ry Walker – X Reply
- AFP Factcheck – ‘Fake’ Astronomer CEO statement circulates after viral Coldplay concert video
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis
