The Astronomer HR exec allegedly caught canoodling with CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay live performance final week seems to nonetheless have her job — even after Byron was pressured to swiftly resign over the scandal.
Chief Individuals Officer Kristin Cabot is on depart, however hasn’t been publicly given the boot over legal responsibility considerations, authorized specialists stated — and it’s not really easy to dump staff simply due to “ugly” headlines.
Cabot’s destiny on the New York-based knowledge science firm continues to be murky — although employment legal professionals additionally threw chilly water on any doable sexual harassment case or comparable claims.
“In a real-world big company, you can’t just fire someone because the headlines are ugly,” stated legal professional Nicole Brenecki.
“There are seemingly contracts, inner investigations, and authorized points concerned.
“If HR greenlit what happened with Coldplay, and there is a supporting paper trail, heads will likely roll. It just might take a few more days before the axe drops.”
Cabot, who took the job in November 2024 grew to become one half of a viral public scandal when she and Byron have been known as out by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin on the jumbotron on the present at Gillette Stadium outdoors Boston.
Astronomer later publicly confirmed an investigation into the incident is underway.
Each Byron and Cabot look like married to different folks, based on social media posts — including a layer to the scandal.
An electronic mail to Astronomer in search of touch upon Cabot’s job standing was not returned Monday, although the brand new interim CEO weighed in on the scandal on-line.
Right here is the most recent on the CEO caught dishonest on a Coldplay live performance jumbotron
Pete DeJoy, the corporate’s co-founder, stated in a LinkedIn publish the immense consideration “has been uncommon and surreal for Astronomer employees.
“While I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name,” DeJoy stated.
“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,” he added.
One other employment legal professional, William Cafaro, recommended that booting Cabot can be simple, however he suspects the corporate and her is likely to be wrangling over an exit deal.
“Like if you were to look for a picture of ’cause’ [for firing] in the dictionary, it would show a picture of the head of HR having a public affair with the CEO of the company,” he informed The Put up.
He added that it’s “difficult to conceive” how she may proceed in her present position.
Legal professional Douglas Wigdor theorized there could possibly be extra particulars concerning the relationship that the general public isn’t aware of. He stated that could possibly be a consider why Cabot has not publicly left the corporate.
Moreover, the outcomes of the interior probe may decide what the corporate in the end does with Cabot, Wigdor added.
“Maybe there’s more to the story from her,” the founding companion of Wigdor LLP stated. “That’s definitely possible about how it came to be that they’re at this concert and they’re embracing. It’s a short video so it’s hard to know what exactly is going on.”
Authorized specialists additionally doubted she may convey ahead a declare of sexual harassment, despite the fact that Byron was her superior.
“Unless she was pressured into the relationship because of a power imbalance, there’s not much of a case,” Brenecki stated.
“If it was consensual… a sexual harassment suit would be a stretch. In fact, a jury might laugh it out of court. Being embarrassed on a jumbotron isn’t the same as being harassed at work.”
Wigdor echoed that sentiment – although he once more cautioned it was primarily based on restricted info.
“She’d have to demonstrate their relationship was unwanted and I think based off what I’ve seen would be difficult,” he stated.
