The Biggest Winners After the Explosive Cheating Scandal at Coldplay’s Concert

On the night of July 17, at Coldplay’s concert in Boston, a couple was caught on the infamous “kiss cam” while hugging intimately in the middle of a sea of fans. But instead of kissing like every other couple, the two hurriedly covered their faces and awkwardly fled the crowd. Within hours, internet sleuths had uncovered their true identities: the man was Andy Byron, CEO of tech company Astronomer, and the woman was Kristin Cabot, the company’s Chief of Human Resources.

What shocked the public even more? Both of them are married — to other people. The online outrage was instant and intense.

Shortly after, both Andy and Kristin were placed on immediate administrative leave to allow the company to conduct an internal investigation into the affair.

The video that exposed a tech CEO’s secret affair to the entire world

As criticism and backlash escalated, layer after layer of secrets began to unravel. Yet in the middle of this storm, the two unexpected winners from the viral “cheating caught live” moment weren’t the ones you’d expect — they were Coldplay and Alyssa Stoddard, the woman who happened to be standing next to the now-infamous duo.

Coldplay — Already “Cosmic Gods,” Now Even More in the Spotlight

If we had to name the biggest winner from this unintentional scandal, it would undoubtedly be Coldplay.

While Astronomer spiraled into crisis and the cheating pair became the internet’s favorite target of shame, the British band benefited massively from the unexpected global attention.

To be clear, Coldplay had nothing to do with the scandal. But because the kiss cam moment happened right at their concert — during a sold-out world tour — the spotlight inevitably landed on them as well. The viral clip came from their 207th show in the Music Of The Spheres tour. Frontman Chris Martin even made a joke live on stage, saying:

“Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just really shy on camera.”

That offhand remark turned out to be shockingly accurate. Clips of the tech couple spread like wildfire across TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. While people gossiped and dissected every second of the “caught in the act” moment, they also couldn’t help but praise the scale, sound, and energy of Coldplay’s show.

The result? Music Of The Spheres enjoyed an unexpected PR boom. Streaming numbers for classic Coldplay tracks like Fix You, Viva La Vida, and Yellow saw a noticeable uptick across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The tour is set to continue into next year, and casual listeners may now be more tempted to buy tickets just to be part of the moment.

Chris Martin even earned the nickname “prophetic genius” for unknowingly calling out the affair on stage. Fans joked that it was the universe itself trying to expose Andy and Kristin — with Coldplay as the chosen messengers.

To put it bluntly, a tech world affair just made Coldplay the center of the cultural conversation. They gained massive media exposure, increased streaming numbers, and potentially more revenue from future shows — all without lifting a finger.

Alyssa Stoddard — From Background Character to Top Candidate for HR Director

In the now-viral kiss cam video, alongside Andy and Kristin, stood another woman who laughed awkwardly when the camera caught them. That woman was Alyssa Stoddard — Kristin’s subordinate and newly appointed Deputy Director of HR.

Many online speculated that her cheerful reaction wasn’t just secondhand embarrassment — but maybe… strategic amusement. After all, with both Andy and Kristin now on leave, the company may need new leadership in HR — and who better than Alyssa?

Interestingly, Alyssa had only been promoted to the Deputy Director position one week before the concert. And when the scandal exploded across the internet, turning Kristin and Andy into public villains, Astronomer was forced to confront an internal crisis. If the company decides to “clean house” in its HR department, Alyssa would be the obvious successor.

Some users even called Alyssa’s expression “the smile of a winner,” noting that her boss’s downfall could mean an unexpected rise for her.

Of course, all of this remains pure speculation. Alyssa has made no public statement, and there is no concrete evidence she knew about the affair or had any part in its exposure.

Born in 1988, Alyssa currently serves as Deputy HR Director at Astronomer, a Boston-based AI and data management startup. She joined the company in January 2025 and was promoted just this July — on Kristin Cabot’s recommendation, no less. The two had worked together for years at companies like ObserveIT, Proofpoint, and Neo4j from 2019 to 2024.

If this truly was a long-game power move, it would mark the most dramatic “bestie betrayal” the tech world has seen in years.