Why Did Kristin Cabot And Andy Byron Both Go Dark Online?
July 16, 2025. Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium. A seemingly innocuous "Kiss Cam" moment. It all spiraled.
Andy Byron, CEO of Astronomer. Kristin Cabot, the company’s Chief People Officer. The camera lingered.
Byron’s arm. Around Cabot’s waist. Her startled reaction. Caught on camera.
Chris Martin, ever the showman. His impromptu commentary: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” The crowd roared.
But the internet? It exploded.
And then they both went silent.
Why?
First, the facts.
Alyssa Stoddard, Astronomer’s Senior Director of People. Her face. Pure, unadulterated shock. The internet christened her the face of workplace awkwardness.
The hashtag: #ColdplayGate. Social media was ablaze.
Andy Byron. High-flying CEO. Lacework, Cybereason, Fuze. His previous gigs.
Kristin Cabot. Chief People Officer. The irony was not lost on anyone.
Divorced. 2022. From Kenneth C. Thornby.
Megan Kerrigan Byron. Andy’s wife. Educator. And now, seemingly, a ghost on social media.
Two children. A million-dollar home. Under a trust.
The timeline is crucial.
The kiss cam. The comment. The outrage. The silence.
Astronomer's reaction? Nothing. No official statement.
Fake apologies. Circulating online. Debunked. But the damage was done.
Elon Musk. Even he weighed in. A laughing emoji. On X. Adding fuel to the fire.
The key question: why the digital disappearing act?
Byron. His LinkedIn? Gone. Wiped clean.
Cabot. Same story. Digital erasure.
Megan Kerrigan’s profiles? Vanished. Or locked down tighter than Fort Knox.
The simplest explanation? Damage control.
Lawyers circling. PR teams working overtime. Trying to contain the fallout.
But is it just damage control?
Consider the context.
The power dynamic. CEO. Chief People Officer. The optics are terrible.
The blatant display. In a public venue. Captured for posterity.
The potential legal ramifications. Workplace harassment. Hostile environment.
The personal consequences. Marriage. Family. Reputation.
The silence speaks volumes.
Could there be more to the story than we know?
Perhaps an internal investigation. Awaiting its conclusion.
Perhaps a mutual agreement. To step away from the spotlight.
Or perhaps, simply, shame. And a desire to escape the relentless scrutiny.
Cabot. Hired in 2024. Touted as a “proven leader” by Byron himself.
Now, a symbol of something else entirely.
Thornby. The ex-husband. Another casualty of the internet’s insatiable appetite for drama.
Stoddard. Promoted to VP. A bittersweet victory. Born from viral infamy.
The silence could also be strategic.
Allowing the storm to pass. Hoping the internet will move on.
But the internet never truly forgets.
And the questions remain.
What *actually* happened between Byron and Cabot?
Will Astronomer ever address the situation?
What is the future of their careers?
And what about Megan Kerrigan Byron? The woman at the heart of it all.
Her silence is deafening.
Deleting social media. A drastic step.
Indicating a profound personal impact.
The online disappearance is a calculated move. To protect themselves. To protect their families. To try and salvage what’s left.
But it also fuels the speculation.
The lack of transparency creates a vacuum. Filled with rumors and conjecture.
Perhaps a statement is forthcoming. Eventually.
But for now, the darkness prevails.
Byron. Cabot. Both gone dark.
Leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. And a social media firestorm.
The Coldplay concert. A night that changed everything.
The kiss cam. A moment of unintended consequences.
And the internet. The judge, jury, and executioner.
The silence is not golden. It's deafening.
It's a sign of something broken. Something irreparable. Or maybe, just maybe, something being carefully, painfully rebuilt behind the scenes.
Until they speak, we can only speculate. We can only fill in the gaps with our own assumptions and biases.
But one thing is certain: the internet remembers. And this story, #ColdplayGate, is far from over.
Maybe the silence is a temporary retreat. A chance to regroup and re-emerge stronger.
Or maybe it's a permanent exit. A recognition that some battles are better left unfought.
Whatever the reason, the online disappearance of Kristin Cabot and Andy Byron is a stark reminder of the power and the peril of the digital age.
A fleeting moment. Captured on camera. Can unravel lives.
And sometimes, the only escape is to simply disappear.
Is it right? Is it fair? Those questions remain unanswered too.
Cabot. Byron. Their careers. Their reputations. Hanging in the balance.
The internet waits.
For a statement. For an explanation. For a resolution.
But for now, the screen remains dark.
Megan Kerrigan deleted her profiles.
Is that not a statement itself?
Consider the children. The families involved.
Who thinks about them, when sharing and commenting online?
A moment caught on camera is a lifetime online.
And it's easier to disappear than it is to face the music.
Coldplay. They played their part.
Chris Martin will move on and sing in other concerts.
Cabot and Byron? Their lives are forever altered.
That is why they both went dark online.