In what may become one of the most explosive workplace scandals of the year, a group of former employees at the tech analytics firm Astronomer has come forward with serious allegations against the company’s leadership. The whistleblowers, previously part of different departments within the company, accuse CEO Andy Byron and HR Director Kristin Cabot of maintaining an undisclosed and inappropriate relationship, manipulating internal operations, and fostering what they describe as a toxic and retaliatory work environment.

The coordinated effort follows what they call the “Arrogated Incident” — a turning point that occurred during a recent Coldplay concert, where Byron and Cabot were allegedly witnessed engaging in behavior that violated the company’s own internal policies. The event, intended to be a corporate celebration, instead ignited a cascade of backlash, firings, and now, a looming $30 million lawsuit.

“We Were Fired for Knowing Too Much”

According to the whistleblowers, the controversy began long before the concert. Over time, suspicions grew inside the company that CEO Andy Byron and HR Director Kristin Cabot were romantically involved — a relationship allegedly hidden from shareholders and not disclosed to legal or ethical oversight bodies.

“We never had a chance to speak up safely,” said one former employee who requested anonymity for legal reasons. “HR was complicit because HR was the problem. When your HR director is in a relationship with the CEO, who do you report misconduct to?”

Employees allege that performance reviews were skewed, promotions were withheld, and disciplinary actions were taken selectively — often targeting those who questioned decisions or raised concerns about company culture.

“We were let go without explanation, right after asking about budget inconsistencies and time logs. It’s not a coincidence,” said another employee who worked in the operations division.

The Coldplay Concert: The Breaking Point

Multiple employees point to the Coldplay concert held last quarter in San Francisco as the moment when “everything unraveled.” Eyewitnesses claim Byron and Cabot were seen in a highly compromising situation in a VIP area—behavior that would typically trigger an internal investigation. Instead, the fallout was quietly buried.

“When we asked why HR wasn’t addressing what had happened, three of us were suddenly ‘redundant’ by the following week,” said one marketing team member.

Following the concert, at least six employees were terminated in quick succession. All six have joined forces, claiming wrongful termination and are preparing to sue Astronomer for $30 million in damages, citing a toxic workplace, emotional distress, and career sabotage.

Hidden Evidence: “Rare Football” and Surveillance Footage

The former employees say they have archived a large body of evidence, including internal communications, timestamped meeting logs, financial spreadsheets, and what they call “rare football” — an internal nickname for unauthorized video footage recorded during work hours that allegedly shows:

Byron and Cabot entering and exiting private office spaces together on multiple occasions
Byron signing off on questionable expense reports for “offsite meetings” that never took place
Kristin Cabot intentionally suppressing HR complaints and deleting grievance records
Multiple employees confronting HR in team calls and being cut off mid-conversation

Screenshots of internal Slack messages, unreleased footage, and emails will be submitted as part of the legal discovery phase, the group says. A website is reportedly being developed to catalog and publish these documents once the suit is filed.

A Culture of Fear and Favoritism

Beyond the scandalous relationship at the top, former staffers describe Astronomer as a company riddled with favoritism, gaslighting, and burnout.

“They lured us in with language about innovation, empowerment, and growth. But once inside, it became clear that challenging leadership wasn’t just discouraged — it was punished,” said one =” engineer.

The group claims that mid-level managers were routinely pressured to falsify productivity reports, and dissenting employees were labeled “not aligned with company vision” in formal records.

One source said, “We all signed NDAs, but truthfully — when your career is sabotaged for protecting your integrity, you stop caring about paperwork. We’re speaking up now because it’s the only way to stop the next group from being destroyed like we were.”

Astronomer Responds… Barely

Astronomer has not issued an official statement, though a spokesperson reportedly told a tech news outlet that “internal matters are being handled professionally and with the company’s long-term values in mind.” Neither Byron nor Cabot have responded to interview requests.

However, industry analysts are already speculating on the potential impact. “If the allegations are true and documentation exists,” one employment law expert stated, “Astronomer is looking at not only massive financial penalties but serious reputational damage. The silence from leadership is deafening.”

The Road Ahead

The former employees, now operating under the collective name “Returners for Truth,” say they are fully prepared to take Astronomer to court — and to the public.

“This isn’t just about revenge,” one former employee said. “It’s about accountability. If companies don’t clean their own house, then we will do it for them.”

As the lawsuit prepares to move forward, all eyes will be on Astronomer — not for its next product release, but for how it handles the fallout from the top-down rot exposed by its own people.