Just days ago, a Coldplay concert attendee’s video capturing former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company HR Head Kristin Cabot‘s alleged affair being exposed on the “kiss cam” blew up the Internet, sparking rumours of infidelity. Since both execs appear to be married to other people already, subsequent character assassinations and widespread debate on the unlikely pair supposedly betraying their respective partners threw the US tech company for a controversial spin.

Andy Byron quits Astronomer, while Kristin Cabot still seems onboard

With the technology solutions firm‘s name soaring to household fame for all contentious reasons possible, Astronomer put its then-CEO on administrative leave, as highlighted in a Friday announcement. The official statement signalled a “formal investigation” being underway but did not immediately reveal Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot’s status.

Despite an initial Axios report suggesting at the time that she was also put on leave, her name was still listed on the official Astronomer website’s leadership roster as of July 22 (IST). On the contrary, Byron’s name was chucked off the website following his eventual resignation, with Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy soaring to the top as the interim CEO.

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Internet reacts to Andy Byron vs Kristin Cabot treatment

The Internet has endlessly pitched in its thoughts as Astronomer’s Andy Byron vs Kristin Cabot treatment of its employees is still in limbo. With the former boss already having been “punished” in light of the scandal breaking out and dragging the company’s through mud, the latter’s employment status remains decked in silence.

Divided reactions have also led netizens to speculate how a potential divorce between Byron and his reported wife Megan Kerrigan could cost him millions, while the HR chief’s betrayal of her purported husband Andrew Cabot may pan out differently.

“Everyone is talking about Andy Byron’s wife being cheated on, but no one is thinking of Kristin Cabot’s husband, whose wife was having an extra marital affair too!” an X user wrote online. “Men get cheated on too, and the world just doesn’t care to even mention them let alone sympathise with them! Men have feelings too!!”

Why Kristin Cabot still hasn’t been fired?

Legal experts have since also broken their silence on the issue and why Kristin Cabot merely remains on leave since the cheating scandal stole headlines while Andy Byron was indirectly given the boot.

Attorney Nicole Brenecki told the New York Post that headlines being “ugly” are not enough of a cause to fire someone “in a real-world big company.” In addition to contracts, internal investigations and legal issues being involved in the mess, Brenecki said, “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 axe drop.”

Employment attorney William Cafaro also indicated that while booting Cabot may seem like the obvious endgame here, she and the company may already be entangled in exit deal negotiations. The “picture of cause” in this situation inevitably displayed the alleged evidence of the pair’s affair at the Boston concert. And so, it appears more difficult than easier for her to continue in the current role.

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On the contrary, Wigdor noted that while the viral ‘ColdplayGate‘ moment has gone more than public at this point, there may be some aspects of the pair dynamics that may be under wraps, potentially hinting at why Cabot still appears to be an Astronomer employee.

Insinuating that there may be “more to the story from” Cabot, Wigdor said, “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.”

Legal experts weigh in on the chances of Kristin Cabot suing Astronomer

Despite whatever conversation the Coldplay controversy may have kicked off on the Internet, Brenecki suggested that there may also be the possibility of the HR Head being pressured into the supposed relationship “because of power imbalance.” And so, if that’s not what happened, there wouldn’t be much at Cabot’s disposal to build a sexual harassment lawsuit if she wanted to.

With weight slipping seemingly towards it all being consensual at this time, she added, “Being embarrassed on a jumbotron isn’t the same as being harassed at work.” Attorney Douglas Wigdor also sided with the sentiment, but highlighting since it was all based on limited information, Kristin Cabot would have “to demonstrate their relationship was unwanted” in the off chance she seeks to pursue the suit.