Relay, an AI‑driven workflow automation service launched in 2021, will cease operations for paying users on September 14 after free‑tier access ended on August 15. The shutdown follows an earlier July announcement. Founder and CEO Jacob Bank said the company’s remaining staff, including himself, will move to Google’s Chrome team.
Bank, who spent over six years at Google before founding Relay, will become VP of Product for Chrome, overseeing product and developer relations. Prior to Relay he led Gmail, Calendar, and Chat at Google, and his earlier startup Timeful was acquired by Google in 2015. Relay offered automation of repetitive tasks such as document drafting, copyediting and project‑management workflows, positioning itself as a Zapier‑style tool. Bank indicated that future work will explore bringing AI‑assisted agents into Chrome, though concrete plans have not been disclosed.
Why this matters
The relocation of Relay’s core engineering and product leadership to Chrome signals Google’s intent to deepen native AI assistance within its browser ecosystem. While the source confirms the staff transfer and Bank’s stated goal of integrating AI agents into Chrome, any claim about improved user productivity or market impact remains inferential until specific features or performance metrics are released.