Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation startup launched in 2021 with ambitions of becoming a modern alternative to Zapier, is shutting down, with several staff members, including founder and CEO Jacob Bank, moving to Google’s Chrome team. Bank announced that paying customers will lose access on September 14, following free-tier customers who already lost access on August 15. The closure was first signaled in July.
Bank confirmed he is rejoining Google as VP of Product for Chrome, where he will lead product and developer relations efforts. Writing on social media, Bank said his career has focused on building AI tools that boost productivity without sacrificing personal creativity, and described joining Chrome as an opportunity to extend that mission to a much larger audience, hinting at ambitious upcoming plans for AI integration within the browser.
Bank previously worked at Google for six years after his earlier startup, scheduling app Timeful, was acquired in 2015, holding product leadership roles across Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat before founding Relay. Relay had offered businesses workflow automation tools for tasks like document drafting and project management.
The move follows Google’s broader push to embed AI throughout its products, including Gemini’s integration into Search and Chrome, with the Gemini app recently surpassing 1 billion users.
Featured image: Credit: Relay
