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Astronomer, the New York–based data workflow startup, has responded to a recent PR crisis by hiring actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow as a self-described temporary spokesperson. The move comes in the wake of a viral moment at a Coldplay concert that sent the company into the spotlight.
At the July 16 concert in Massachusetts, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were caught in an intimate embrace on the stadium kiss‑cam. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped from the stage, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” The footage swiftly went viral, drawing intense media attention and prompting the resignations of both executives.
Astronomer quickly leaned into the attention. On July 25, the company released a short promotional video featuring Paltrow, who begins by saying she was hired on a very temporary basis to speak for Astronomer’s more than 300 employees. Though mock questions appear on screen—like “OMG! What the actual f …”—Paltrow refuses to engage with the scandal. Instead, she pivots, discussing Astronomer’s services such as data workflow automation and Apache Airflow. She also plugs the upcoming Beyond Analytics conference.
The video emphasizes that interest in Astronomer has surged in recent days, and concludes, “We will now be returning to what we do best: delivering game‑changing results for our customers.” Paltrow wraps up with gratitude, stating, “Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.”
Astronomer’s interim CEO and co‑founder Pete DeJoy has acknowledged the impact of the incident, saying that the company has become a household name in the small world of data‑ops startups nearly overnight. He credited Ryan Reynolds’ agency Maximum Effort with the creative direction behind the video. Astronomer embraced the viral moment with humor, celebrity and timing.
