By Dayo Ade Olusla | M10News | Culture & Media Desk|Published: July 19, 2025
An Irish entrepreneur has found himself unintentionally swept into a viral cheating scandal—despite having no connection to the drama—after internet sleuths mistook him for the CEO caught on camera during a Coldplay concert in Boston.
Andy Byron, the Dublin-based founder of motion design studio stylo.ie, began receiving a flood of unexpected messages after the clip of a couple ducking from a kiss cam spotlight began making headlines globally.
The man in the video was quickly identified as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, seen cosying up to his company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. But many mistakenly targeted the Irish businessman, simply because they share the same name.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the Dublin-based Byron recalled how the confusion began with messages from friends. “At first it was just a few jokes,” he said. “People were texting, asking if I enjoyed the Coldplay gig, and then the link started going around.”
While initially amused, Byron quickly realised the situation was escalating online. “It’s a pretty unusual name—I’ve never met another Andy Byron. But then I started getting messages on LinkedIn from strangers saying things like, ‘You’re going to get what you deserve.’ It got intense.”
As the video continued to spread, the mistaken identity led to a barrage of messages and friend requests on LinkedIn. Eventually, Byron felt compelled to issue a clarification post to protect his reputation.
“I had to put something up right away,” he said. “I wrote, ‘That’s not me. I’d never be caught dead at a Coldplay concert.’”
In an effort to lighten the mood—and reassure his family—he added: “I checked in with my wife, and she knows I haven’t been to a Coldplay gig. But I’m still going to buy her flowers, just in case.”
Though the Dubliner has taken the incident with humour, he admitted the experience revealed a darker side of internet culture.
“There are people online who’ll just go hunting for someone to blame and send them abuse,” he said. “It’s bizarre. I’ve no connection to that guy or the company. But once the story blew up, it didn’t seem to matter.”
Meanwhile, the actual CEO at the centre of the controversy—Andy Byron of Astronomer, a Cincinnati-based tech firm—has remained silent.
The now-viral moment, in which Coldplay frontman Chris Martin teased the pair saying, “They’re either having an affair or just very shy,” led to a wave of social media scrutiny.
A fake apology letter allegedly from the U.S.-based Byron also began circulating, though the company has since confirmed it was fabricated.
As of Friday, Astronomer has not issued any formal statement addressing the incident.
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