Andy Byron was left with no choice but to tender his resignation to US tech company Astronomer after a concert moment shared with his then-subordinate Kristin Cabot devolved into the infamous ‘ColdplayGate‘ meme-fest.
In addition to losing out on his job while he continues to be smeared with character assassinations, the former CEO is possibly also on the path to losing out millions from his purported $20-$70 million net worth (to be taken with a grain of salt). Meanwhile, the company was valued at $1.2 billion as of May 2025. Having been its CEO at one point, it may not be anything out of the ordinary if he owns equity stake in it as well.
Although Byron is far off from the current fourth-richest person in the world, Jeff Bezos, a legal expert suggested that he may just as well be left with no choice but to spend a significant portion of his earnings if the kiss cam scandal devolves into a divorce.
In the aftermath of Byron being spotted cozying up with his company’s HR Head at Coldplay’s Boston gig, his wife Megan Kerrigan appeared to drop his surname from her social media username before seemingly deactivating her account. Her unavoidable social media move sparked amplified speculations of a potential divorce shattering the pair’s marriage.
Legal expert on how a potential divorce could impact ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron
Matrimony and family lawyer Nancy Chemtob, partner at Chemtob Moss Forman & Beyda, noted how “it’s obviously a long-term relationship. It’s a crucial detail, as Massachusetts’s 50/50 marital laws mandate that a couple married more over seven years must split the asset they built together. The ultimate divorce settlement could be uglier if the couple had prenuptial or postnuptial agreements, the lawyer added.
Either way, “I think the worst thing in this case is the embarrassment factor for the kids,: Chemtob added. “The problem here is that now, the kids are embarrassed, the families are embarrassed, and there’s going to be a lot of expenses with regard to therapy for the children, getting separate homes, things like that.”
Los Angeles-based matrimonial and family law Partner at Blank Rome, Jackie Combs, also noted that the Coldplay concert video, as popular as it may have become, may not be enough to dissolve Andy Byron and Megan Kerrigan’s marriage in the Massachusetts, as courts don’t necessarily prefer to enforce infidelity provisions.
Andy Byron could be hit with Jeff Bezos-level setback
In case, divorce is indeed the final run here, the case could turn out to be much like it did for tech billionaire Jeff Bezos, who had to pay up around $36 billion following his separation from ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, making it one of the most expensive settlements ever.
Though divorced in 2019, the two people remain amicable as co-parents. Bezos and Scott tied the knot in 1993. Following a 25-year marriage, their divorce settlement resulted in Scott receiving 25% of their shared Amazon stake, worth around $36 billion, as per USA Today. The outcome ended up making MacKenzie the world’s third richest woman.