After spending the past week in the headlines due to a seemingly inescapable social media scandal, data operations startup Astronomer is trying to shift the narrative with a tongue-in-cheek video starring actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow.
Paltrow, previously married to Coldplay singer Chris Martin, appears in the video as the company attempts to refocus attention on its technology. The scandal began when Astronomer’s CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were caught on the “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts. When the two executives—reportedly married to other people—awkwardly tried to hide from the camera, Martin joked, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The footage quickly went viral, leading both Byron and Cabot to resign. In its statement announcing Byron’s departure, Astronomer emphasized that its leaders are held to high standards of conduct and accountability, which had not been met in this instance. The company also acknowledged its sudden fame for reasons unrelated to its product, stating, “While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.”
The new marketing video, featuring Paltrow, carries a similar tone. She introduces herself as someone temporarily hired to represent Astronomer’s 300-plus employees and promises to address the most common questions about the company. However, when the briefly glimpsed questions allude to the scandal, Paltrow remains focused on the company’s mission.
“We’ve been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,” she says, before promoting an upcoming company conference. The video concludes with Paltrow reaffirming Astronomer’s commitment to delivering results for its customers.
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