Overview

• Pete DeJoy remains as interim CEO while the board carries out its formal ethics review initiated after the viral kiss-cam incident.
• Both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot stepped down from their roles at Astronomer following the video’s fast spread, with Byron resigning July 19 and Cabot departing days later.
• Ex-employees have described Astronomer’s work environment under Byron as toxic and aggressive, fueling calls for clearer conduct guidelines.
• Mary Angela Bock of UT Austin cautioned that concert kiss-cams illustrate how biometric identification and social media converge into a massive surveillance system without explicit consent.
• Spanish privacy lawyer Rafael Juristo highlighted that under Spain’s constitution image rights demand free and specific consent, rendering a kiss-cam-style broadcast unlawful there.