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3d ago

Astronomer Taps Gwyneth Paltrow to Shift Focus Back to Data Services

A board-led inquiry remains active; the cheeky PR push seeks to restore focus on Astronomer’s data automation services.

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Photo collage of the Coldplay 'kiss cam' clip appearing to show a tech CEO and his head of HR embracing on a strip of analog film

Overview

  • On July 25 Astronomer released a tongue-in-cheek video announcing Gwyneth Paltrow as a very temporary spokesperson for its 300-plus employees.
  • In the ad Paltrow sidesteps questions about the Coldplay KissCam scandal to highlight Astronomer’s Apache Airflow-powered data workflow automation and promote its Beyond Analytics event.
  • The company’s board of directors opened a formal investigation on July 18 after CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were caught embracing on a stadium jumbotron in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
  • Former CEO Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot resigned on July 19 and July 24 respectively, and co-founder Pete DeJoy has served as interim CEO, underscoring continuity in product roadmap and customer commitments.
  • The viral KissCam footage sparked a global wave of memes and parodies, boosting Astronomer’s brand exposure and prompting this strategic celebrity-led PR response.