The Astronomer CEO’s Coldplay Moment Is a Textbook Fiasco
Badly behaved bosses are nothing new. But boards need to understand that the rules for handling an executive’s messy private life have changed.
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Photo: @calebu2/TMX/AP
With Coldplaygate on track to become one of the most viral moments of the year, you would think this is the first time in history that a CEO has gotten busted for having what certainly seems to be an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
Well, let me tell you — this is far from the truth. As someone who covers corporate America, CEOs doing inappropriate things with inappropriate people has turned into its own mini-beat. Over time, I’ve learned a lot — too much! — about the indiscretions of those in charge. In some ways, the Andy Byron/Astronomer fiasco is a textbook case. But it also reveals the way our hyper-online world has transformed how CEOs — and company boards — need to think about the line between bosses’ public and private lives.