AI automation startup Relay is shutting down after five years of helping businesses automate repetitive tasks, with founder and CEO Jacob Bank now returning to Google to take on a senior leadership role within the Chrome team. The development marks a major shift for the startup, which launched in 2021 with ambitions of becoming a major player in the workflow automation space.
Relay announced that access for paying customers will end on September 14, while free customers lost access on August 15. The company had initially revealed plans to shut down in July, bringing an end to its efforts to build an AI-powered alternative to popular workflow automation platforms. Relay helped businesses simplify tasks such as document drafting, copyediting and project management by connecting AI-powered automation to everyday workflows.
For Bank, however, the shutdown represents a return to familiar territory. He previously spent more than six years at Google after the company acquired his scheduling startup, Timeful, in 2015. During his time at Google, Bank worked across several major products, including Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Chat, before leaving the company to launch Relay. He will now return as Vice President of Product for Google Chrome, where he is expected to lead product and developer relations teams.
Bank’s return comes as Google continues to push deeper into artificial intelligence across its products. Gemini has already become part of Google Search and Chrome, giving users access to AI-powered assistance directly within the browser. Bank has described Chrome as an ideal environment for people to work alongside AI agents, raising questions about what new AI-powered features could emerge under his leadership.
The move also highlights how quickly the AI industry is changing, as startups and major technology companies compete to make AI a more practical part of everyday work. With Relay closing its doors and its founder heading back to Google, Bank’s next chapter could see ideas developed at the startup brought to a much larger audience. Google has already reported that Gemini has surpassed one billion users, suggesting that the company sees AI-powered experiences as a major part of the future of its products.
source: Techcrunch
