Coldplay’s Chris Martin joked two crowd goers must be “having an affair” after they frantically hid from the concert kiss cam – as the pair are identified.

A “kiss cam” moment broadcast at a Coldplay concert struck a scandalous note when it apparently exposed a cheating tech tycoon and his head-of-HR mistress — as the band’s frontman, Chris Martin, mused that they must be “having an affair.”

The couple — who New York Post identified as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the firm’s chief human resources officer, Kristin Cabot — scrambled to hide their faces when an image of them canoodling appeared on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium near Boston on Wednesday night.

Cabot covered her face and quickly turned her back while Byron ducked down out of view, prompting some laughter from the crowd.

In the video, Byron appears to mutter, “F***ing hell, it’s me”, before disappearing beneath a ledge.

What started as a playful concert tradition quickly turned into an internet spectacle — and possibly a corporate scandal — after a kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert appeared to catch a tech CEO and his head of HR in a compromising position.

The incident unfolded Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium near Boston, where Coldplay was performing to a sold-out crowd. In the middle of the show, the band’s “kiss cam” panned over various couples in the audience, encouraging light-hearted public displays of affection. But when the camera landed on one particular pair, things took an unexpectedly dramatic turn.

Instead of smiling or sharing a kiss, the couple looked panicked. The woman quickly turned her back and covered her face, while the man appeared visibly alarmed, reportedly muttering, “F***ing hell, it’s me,” before ducking out of the frame and trying to disappear beneath a ledge.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, unaware of the identities or backstory of the couple, quipped from the stage: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” The crowd burst into laughter, but the awkward moment didn’t end there.

Social media users quickly began speculating about the couple, whose discomfort stood out from the typically jubilant reactions the kiss cam elicits. Within hours, online sleuths had identified them as Andy Byron, the CEO of New York-based AI company Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, the firm’s Chief People Officer.

According to LinkedIn records and prior news articles, Byron has led Astronomer for just over two years. The company specializes in data orchestration and infrastructure for AI and machine learning systems. Before joining Astronomer, Byron held executive roles at cybersecurity companies, including Mountain View-based Lacework.

Cabot, meanwhile, joined Astronomer as head of HR in November of the previous year. Her position puts her in charge of enforcing workplace policy and ethical standards — a responsibility that now sits uncomfortably in light of the viral footage.

Perhaps the most controversial detail fueling the internet firestorm: Byron is reportedly married. That detail, coupled with their visibly flustered behavior when caught on camera, has led many online to conclude that the two executives were involved in an extramarital relationship and inadvertently outed in front of thousands.

Neither Byron nor Cabot has responded publicly since the footage surfaced, and Astronomer has issued no official statement. The silence, however, has only amplified online chatter. The original TikTok video quickly spread to X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Reddit, racking up millions of views and sparking intense debate about workplace relationships, ethics, and public accountability.

In a sign that the pressure may already be mounting, Byron’s LinkedIn profile was deleted sometime Thursday afternoon. Prior to its removal, it confirmed his role as CEO and listed a lengthy background in tech leadership. Cabot’s profile, as of the latest reports, remains online.

The video itself — brief but loaded with subtext — has become a talking point not only for fans and gossipers but also among business and HR professionals. Experts note that when two top executives are involved in a potentially inappropriate relationship, particularly across reporting lines, it can raise serious concerns about professional boundaries, favoritism, and workplace culture.

“Even the perception of impropriety can be damaging in these cases,” said one corporate ethics consultant, speaking anonymously. “When you have a CEO and their head of HR — the very person responsible for compliance — appearing together in a context like this, it undermines employee trust and raises a whole host of internal governance questions.”

Others argue that the public may be reading too much into a single awkward moment. “There’s no hard proof of a relationship from a few seconds on a jumbotron,” said another observer. “But in the age of viral media, perception often becomes reality.”

The irony of the situation is not lost on many. A company that helps power data processing and automation in cutting-edge AI systems is now the focus of an internet feeding frenzy it likely didn’t see coming. Astronomer, whose clients rely on its technology to bring clarity to complex information, is suddenly awash in a sea of online speculation and murky public relations optics.

The broader implications are also worth noting. In recent years, many companies — particularly in tech — have come under scrutiny for workplace culture issues, especially regarding relationships between executives and subordinates. The #MeToo movement spurred widespread reform in how organizations handle power dynamics, transparency, and internal investigations. This Coldplay concert moment may now place Astronomer under that same microscope.

As the video continues to circulate and conversations intensify, the company’s leadership will likely be forced to respond, either through an internal review or public statement. How they handle it could determine not only public perception, but also employee morale and investor confidence.

For Coldplay, the moment was supposed to be just another whimsical interlude in a night of music and lights. Chris Martin’s offhand remark — “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy” — was likely meant as nothing more than a laugh line. But it may end up being one of the most quoted, dissected, and replayed lines of the band’s tour.

In a world where public and private lives are increasingly intertwined — where a few seconds on a screen can become global news — the kiss cam has taken on new meaning. What once was a harmless bit of fun is now, in this case, a viral moment with serious real-world consequences.

Whether this is a fleeting media frenzy or the beginning of a deeper corporate reckoning remains to be seen. For now, all eyes are on Byron, Cabot, and Astronomer — and the silence from all three is growing louder by the hour.