US tech firm "clever" PR move to save public image following CEO's viral cheating scandal VIDEO

In the wake of a very public cheating scandal involving its former CEO, US tech firm Astronomer has released a humorous promotional video featuring actress Gwyneth Paltrow as a temporary spokesperson in an attempt to salvage its reputation. 

The move follows the resignation of CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot after they were caught on camera embracing at a Coldplay concert, in what appeared to be an extra-marital affair.

The 60-second video, shared on Astronomer’s X account, cleverly uses the viral attention to refocus the public on the company's actual business. Paltrow, who was once married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, humorously addresses viewer questions that appeared on-screen. 

The first one reads, “OMG! What the actual f***”, to which Paltrow quips: “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow.” She ends the answer by saying the company is “thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation.”

The video goes on to address how the company's social media team is doing following the viral moment, with Paltrow noting that there’s still space at their upcoming conference. She signs off by thanking viewers for their interest in Astronomer and says the firm is returning to “what it does best.”

The promotional clip has been viewed over 27 million times on the platform, and marketing experts are calling it a smart PR move. Jordan Greenaway, CEO of the public relations firm Profile, praised the video’s cleverness. 

In an interview to BBC, he explains that although the scandal made headlines, most people couldn’t have identified Astronomer or its products before the incident. By using humour and leaning into the moment, the company has managed to redirect attention to its core business — running Apache Airflow, a workflow automation tool.

Greenaway argues that scandals of this nature don’t necessarily damage the product or brand if handled well. Since the issue didn’t reflect on Astronomer’s software quality, the viral interest has translated into a dramatic surge in public attention. Unverified reports suggest a 15,000% increase in website visits since the incident.

He also points out that Astronomer chose to confront the scandal head-on instead of ignoring it, a strategy he believes can be effective when the event is too high-profile to downplay. According to Greenaway, by embracing humour and transparency, Astronomer is successfully transforming the narrative from a PR disaster to a moment of heightened brand visibility.

Coldplay accidentally exposed an alleged affair between Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his colleague Kristin Cabot at one of their recent concerts. pic.twitter.com/hsJHV2u5UM

— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 17, 2025

However, while the company may recover its reputation, publicly shamed Andy Byron’s personal and professional image may not. Greenaway emphasizes that had Byron himself tried to make light of the incident, it would have appeared unethical, given he was directly involved in the marital and corporate ethical misconduct.

Byron had led Astronomer for two years before the viral clip of him and his HR colleague Cabot at Gillette Stadium on July 16 sparked the scandal. Even Chris Martin, from his vantage on stage, jokingly commented, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy” as the couple rushed to hide from the camera.

By Nazrin Sadigova