To refocus attention on their business and away from the massively viral Coldplay kiss cam incident that led to two of its execs resigning, Astronomer has hired Gwyneth Paltrow to be their new "temporary" spokesperson. Her just-released foray into the PR waters for them is a brief video.
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For over a week, the tech firm has been drawn into the controversy, which began on July 16, That night, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were spotted on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert in suburban Massachusetts looking snuggly. Both are reportedly married. Byron tried to hide. Cabot quickly covered her face and turned her back. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - who is Paltrow's ex-husband - remarked to the crowd, "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."
After that, the situation escalated. Byron was placed on leave before resigning. Cabot resigned a few days later. There was an explosion of wisecracks, innuendo, memes, and other comments about the pair.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Video on Behalf of Astronomer
Paltrow appears in a short video that initially surfaced on the firm's LinkedIn page on Friday night, per the New York Post. Some outlets described it as "cheeky." She's clad in a light blue blouse, sitting at a table, and looking simple yet elegant. Rather than directly address the Byron-Cabot fallout, she straight-facedly answers a few questions typed on the screen related to Astronomer's mission.
For example, "OMG, what the actual f..." She replies, "Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML, and AI pipelines at scale." And another query: "How is your social media team holding...." And she coolly answers, "Yes, there is still room available at our Beyond Analytics event in September."
The video closes with Paltrow saying, "We will now be returning to what we do best - delivering game-changing results for our customers."
Businesspeople Applauded the Firm's Effort at Damage Control
Comments on Astronomer's LinkedIn page were highly appreciative. Many seemed to be professionals in the business world. They considered enlisting Paltrow for the clever video a real coup for the company.
One wrote, "LMAOOO Genius, bravo"
Another weighed in with "This belongs in the hall of fame of 'crisis management.'"
A third: "Genius!"
Posted someone else, "Well done!"
Photo via YouTube
