☕️Affair to Remember

Astronomer CEO didn’t see his future written in the stars.

July 21, 2025

Good morning.

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned from his post, the company announced over the weekend, after being unwittingly exposed by the ‘jumbotron’ at a Coldplay concert last week. “While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for customers have not,” wrote the company.

The heady concoction of a wealthy tech CEO canoodling with Astronomer’s head of human resources (🤌 🤌 🤌) amplified the delectable hypocrisy of the scandal that got a lot closer to breaking the internet than Kim Kardashian’s derriere.

Schadenfreude is sweet and as the WSJ reports, there is simply nothing that compares to a public CEO takedown.

ASX as at market close. Commodities and crypto in USD.

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Market movers

Shares in Mesoblast skyrocketed Friday after the company reported a surge in revenue from its newly launched cell therapy Ryoncil, with full onboarding of US transplant centres and state Medicaid coverage expected this quarter.

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The quick sync

  • While the US sets the pace on crypto laws, Labor is only now dividing up responsibility between Mulino and Leigh. (Capital Brief)

  • Caligra opens pre-orders for its Linux-powered developer workstation, with early units built offshore and plans to explore final assembly in Australia. (Capital Brief)

  • Minutes from the RBA vote split and Bullock's unemployment speech will set the tone as fresh data and Parliament return test economic nerves. (Capital Brief)

  • The Qantas breach, caused by a third-party platform, underscores the need for stronger cyber resilience through shared responsibility, writes Raff Ciccone.(Capital Brief)

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Trading floor

M&A

  • Regis eyes full control of $3b Tropicana gold mine amid active gold sector dealmaking. (AFR)

  • KKR may exit Ritchies Transport before costly EV upgrades, but no sale is planned yet. (The Australian)

  • CyberCX prepares for sale as Goldman Sachs stays close. (AFR)

  • Hostplus and IFM likely to buy Igneo’s $350m Adelaide Airport stake. (The Australian)

  • Ainsworth investor says U.S. assets are undervalued, slams Novomatic’s $1-per-share takeover bid. (AFR)

Capital Markets

  • Cedar Pacific seeks $100m+ as UniLodge sale looms. (AFR)

  • REA tells agents to keep fees secret, denies link to ACCC probe. (AFR)

  • Blackbird-backed Caligra opens pre-orders for Linux workstations built for developers. (Capital Brief)

  • Nash Capital backs Clear21 to fuel UK expansion. (AFR)

  • BHP quits $1.4b Tanzanian nickel project to trim costs. (AFR)

VC

  • None

People moves

  • Brisbane Olympics cuts 10 from organising committee, including Wesfarmers boss, to boost efficiency. (AFR)

  • Aurizon CEO Andrew Harding may face pressure to step down amid falling share prices and possible writedowns on the $2.39b One Rail acquisition. (The Australian)

☝️ Know about a deal or people move we don’t? Hit reply.

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The watercooler