Astronomer, the data-ops startup recently swept into the spotlight by a viral Coldplay “kiss cam” scandal, has turned its PR misfortune into a moment of levity and strategic messaging. Just days after the incident, the company featured Gwyneth Paltrow, ex-wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, as a “temporary spokesperson” in a short, tongue-in-cheek video.

In the video, Paltrow deadpans that she was hired “on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees.” Instead of addressing the scandal, she fields mock questions like “OMG! What the actual f—” and shifts attention to promote Astronomer’s flagship service—Apache Airflow for data, ML, and AI pipelines—and teases its “Beyond Analytics” conference in September.

Following the viral resignation of CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristin Cabot, interim CEO Pete DeJoy embraced the attention, calling the incident “unusual and surreal” but noting Astromer had become a household name. The Paltrow cameo received widespread acclaim on social media as “marketing jiu-jitsu”—a PR masterstroke that re-centered the narrative around the company’s work.

By injecting humor, celebrity presence, and a quick pivot to its technical strengths, Astronomer appears to have turned a crisis into brand gain—stabilizing public perception and reaffirming its technology leadership in one smart stroke.