Gwyneth Paltrow Hired By Astronomer After Viral Kiss Cam Scandal

Tech company Astronomer is trying to turn a PR nightmare into a masterclass in damage control by hiring actress Gwyneth Paltrow as a “very temporary” spokesperson following a viral scandal involving its former CEO.

The controversy erupted after a clip went viral showing Andy Byron, then-CEO of Astronomer, caught on the stadium’s kiss cam embracing a woman who was not his wife during a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 16. The woman was widely identified online as Kristin Cabot, the company’s Chief People Officer. The pair quickly pulled away after realizing they were being broadcast on the stadium jumbotron. The incident exploded on social media, prompting Byron’s swift resignation.

In an unexpected twist, Astronomer brought on Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, to help reset the company’s public image. Paltrow appeared in a short, tongue-in-cheek video that has already racked up over 30 million views on X.

“Hi, I’m Gwyneth Paltrow,” she says in the clip, smiling warmly at the camera. “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer.”

She went on to humorously acknowledge the public’s curiosity about the incident, stating, “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML, and AI pipelines at scale. We’ve been thrilled that so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation.”

Paltrow seamlessly pivoted from scandal chatter to promoting the company’s upcoming Beyond Analytics event in September, saying, “We will now be returning to what we do best delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.”

The company’s bold move to enlist Paltrow notably connected to Coldplay through her former marriage to Martin has fueled speculation about whether the entire scandal might have been a marketing ploy.

“You hired the Coldplay singer’s ex-wife. Extraordinary,” one social media user quipped. Another added, “Damn, this is a masterclass in PR and crisis control.” A third user joked, “Wait, was this one big psyop to know where the best place to run Apache Airflow is?”

With Byron’s resignation now official, Astronomer appears to be leaning into the viral attention, capitalizing on the surge of online traffic to boost its brand recognition. What began as an embarrassing moment for the company has quickly turned into free publicity on a massive scale and Paltrow’s star power is helping to smooth the transition.

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