They say that loose lips sink ships, and when it comes to tech startup Astronomer, it could be in a whole sea of trouble. After CEO Andy Byron was caught in an embrace with HR chief Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert, the world has become embroiled in the scandal as if it were one involving our own families.
Amid fake statements from Byron and fears that Astronomer could be hit financially, the CEO has stepped down, and his wife has apparently fled the family home as she retains her silence.
While Byron has already been replaced by interim CEO Pete DeJoy, there are still questions about what's next for Cabot. It was reported that both had been placed on administrative leave ahead of Byron stepping down, but according to one employment attorney, Cabot might not be facing the same fate.
Speaking to the New York Post, employment attorney Nicole Brenecki explained how sensationalist stories aren't necessarily enough to show someone the door: "In a real-world big company, you can’t just fire someone because the headlines are ugly."
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Still, she warned that "there are likely contracts, internal investigations, and legal issues involved" after their tryst went viral.
In terms of where Astronomer could find itself in a sticky situation, Brenecki added: "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 ax drops."
Fellow employment attorney, William Cafaro, went on to suggest that even though firing Cabot would be relatively easy, he thinks both sides will try and broker an exit deal.
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Cafaro admitted it's 'difficult to conceive' how Cabot could continue in her current role, musing: "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."
Finally, attorney Douglas Wigdor chimed in saying that there could be further details that aren't public knowledge: "Maybe there’s more to the story from her. 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."
Lawyers have largely dismissed the notion of Byron being slapped with any sexual harassment cases, with Brenecki saying: "Unless she was pressured into the relationship because of a power imbalance, there’s not much of a case.
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“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 this, concluding: "She’d have to demonstrate their relationship was unwanted and I think based off what I’ve seen [that] would be difficult."
Astronomer didn't reply to the outlet's request for comment, although the NYP noted DeJoy's recent LinkedIn statement where he referred to "an unusual and surreal for Astronomer workers." DeJoy added: "While I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.
“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."
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For now, it seems all sides are continuing to keep quiet on the whole debacle.