Astronomer Co-Founder Breaks Silence on Interim CEO Choice After Andy Byron Exit

On Saturday, July 19 Astronomer announced its interim CEO to replace Andy Byron after he and human resources executive Kristin Cabot were caught having an alleged affair during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium.

"Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO," the $1 billion company said.

DeJoy originally helped co-found the company with Ry Walker, who served as CEO of the company from 2015-19 before the company hit serious traction and needed the services of an experienced CEO for the growth stage. The new interim CEO graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with a degree in chemistry and physics before going on to co-found Astronomer back in August 2017.

"I lead Product at Astronomer, working with an incredible team of folks to deliver the world's data via a portfolio of open-source and commercial products," DeJoy said in his LinkedIn profile. "On the open-source side, we are most well-known for being the largest contributor to the Apache Airflow project. On the commercial side, we deliver a platform designed to run, operate, and scale Airflow for mission-critical workloads. We're privileged to work with some of the most advanced data teams in the world as a critical part of their data platforms, from bleeding-edge startups to Fortune 100s."

Most recently DeJoy served as the Chief Product Officer for the company, a title he was given just six months ago in February 2025. With Byron getting involved in a public scandal, DeJoy enters a new era as the interim CEO, something his co-founder applauded.

"Great choice by @astronomerio in naming @petedejoy as interim CEO. He is an amazing co-founder and friend," Walker said on social media.

Related: Andy Byron Statement Floating Around Social Media Is Duping Everyone