Coldplay couple: Case study in poor HR practices

The Coldplay couple, who the world came to know when a kiss cam panned onto them while they were embracing, demonstrated poor HR practices. By now everyone on social media is aware of the relationship between co-workers Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot, who were chief executive officer and chief people officer, respectively, at Astronomer, which commercializes open source software.

What happened to the Coldplay couple? 

The couple was caught canoodling at a Coldplay concert on July 16 at Gilette Stadium in Massachusetts. As they realized that the kiss cam was spotlighting their embrace, Cabot turned away and covered her face and Byron ducked. This prompted Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to say: 

"Oh, look at these two. You're all right. You're OK. Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." 

The moment went viral on social media and ignited a series of spoofs and memes. Many have reported that online sleuths drew the conclusion the pair indeed was having an affair and that both were married to other people. Cheating on a spouse, however is not tantamount to a fireable offense at work. However, having a romantic or inappropriate relationship with a co-worker certainly could be. Within a few days of the viral moment, both Byron and Cabot had resigned. 

Why was the viral video an example of bad HR practices?

In They Did What? Unbelievable Tales from the Workplace, authors and contributors to HR Exchange Network Cornelia Gamlem and Barbara Mitchell describe similar situations of co-workers having sexual relations at work, having inappropriate relationships and other stories. These were fictitious stories based on Gamlem and Mitchell's experiences as HR leaders. The point they make in the book - through these characters - is the fact that there are policies regarding co-workers having romantic relationships. 

Generally speaking, most organizations prohibit romantic or sexual relationships between executives and anyone. After all, it creates an unfair power dynamic. In this case, the CEO is the boss of everyone. And the CPO is the arbiter of these rules and regulations, so this example of the Coldplay couple is an especially messy one. Given the circumstances, they almost had no choice but to resign. 

How did Astronomer handle the HR crisis? 

Clearly, the company faced an HR crisis without the CPO, who, in fact, was the cause of it. Still, many who have assessed the approach the company has taken thought the organization did all the right things. Astronomer conducted a quick investigation, allowed the two executives to resign, corrected misinformation distributed online (namely a fake statement that people thought was from Byron) and shared specific and carefully worded messages in the days after the video surfaced. The first statement as reported by Today was transparent and thorough and even addressed some rumors and misunderstandings online:

"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly. Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”

Some suggested Stoddard was in the video. Clearing up this confusion was a good first step. Next, the company conducted the investigation and determined that Byron had "failed to meet its standards in 'conduct and accountability.'" Byron tendered his resignation, and the company said it would launch a CEO search. In addition, Pete DeJoy, cofounder and chief product officer, was named the interim CEO. The company announced Cabot's resignation a few days later. Both names were remeoved from the company's leadership team webpage, according to CNBC.

How is Astronomer leveraging the publicity?  

In May, Astronomer announced a $93 million investment round led by Bain Ventures and other investors. However, the company remained under the radar until now. The next statement, which was shared in the BBC, provides context: 

"The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies - let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world - ever encounter." 

The next move was unexpected and clever, a masterclass in crisis management. The company made a video starring Gwyneth Paltrow, famous actress and ex-wife of Martin. In this ad of sorts, she played the company spokesperson and answered the many questions suddenly popping up about Astronomer. Mainly she described what the company does while pretending nothing else had happened to spark such interest. The company shared the video on its X page. Adweek reported that "some industry observers praised Astronomer’s humorous PR response to the incident..."

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