AI Automation Startup Relay Shuts Down; Team Joins Google's Chrome Division

Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation tool launched in 2021 with the ambition of becoming the next Zapier, is ceasing operations. Several team members, including its top executive, are moving to Google's Chrome team. Jacob Bank, Relay's founder and CEO, announced on Monday that the app will end access for paying customers on September 14. Free users had already lost access as of August 15. The initial closure notice was issued in July. Bank, who previously spent over six years at Google, revealed he will rejoin the tech giant as Vice President of Product for Google Chrome. In this role, he will lead the product and developer relations teams for the browser, according to his LinkedIn profile. "I've spent my whole career doing one thing: building tools that help people get more done with AI, without sacrificing their personal creativity or insights," Bank said in a post on X. "Joining the Chrome team is an ideal opportunity to bring those experiences to many, many more people." He added, "We have some really ambitious plans to help you work with AI in Chrome to get things done, and I'll have more to share soon." Bank originally joined Google in 2015 after his previous startup, a scheduling app called Timeful, was acquired by the search giant. At Google, he held various product leadership roles, including for Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat, before departing to launch Relay. Similar to Timeful, Relay provided productivity enhancements through workflow automation, enabling businesses to streamline repetitive tasks such as document drafting, copyediting, and project management. TechCrunch has reached out to Google and Relay for additional comment. The exact plans for integrating AI into Chrome remain unclear, though Bank describes Chrome as "a perfect place to collaborate with agents." This move aligns with Google's consistent integration of AI into its user experience. The incorporation of Gemini into search has fundamentally transformed Google's interface—and, notably, the broader internet ecosystem. Gemini has also been integrated into Chrome as an optional in-browser assistant, introduced in 2025. User response to these AI integrations has been positive, with Google recently reporting that Gemini has surpassed 1 billion users.

via TechCrunch AI