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Relay shuts down, founder Jacob Bank joins Google as Chrome VP of product

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Relay shuts down, founder Jacob Bank joins Google as Chrome VP of product

Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation startup launched in 2021 with the ambition of becoming the next Zapier, is shutting down. Paying customers will lose access on September 14, and free customers already lost access on August 15; the closure was first announced in July.

Founder and CEO Jacob Bank announced the shutdown in a company update on Monday, revealing that he and some of Relay's staff are rejoining Google. Bank, who previously spent a little over six years at Google before leaving to start Relay, is returning as VP of Product for Chrome, where he will lead the product and developer relations teams, according to his LinkedIn. The number of Relay employees joining him has not been disclosed.

This is not Bank's first trip through Google's revolving door. He originally joined the company in 2015 after Timeful, a scheduling app he had founded, was acquired by Google. There he served as product lead for Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Chat before leaving to launch Relay. Relay itself offered businesses productivity gains through workflow automation, similar to Timeful, letting them streamline repetitive tasks such as document drafting, copyediting and various project management jobs.

In a post on X, Bank said: "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. And joining the Chrome team is an ideal opportunity to bring those experiences to many, many more people." He added that he has "really ambitious plans to help you work with AI in Chrome to get things done," with more details to come, and described Chrome as "a perfect place to collaborate with agents." TechCrunch reached out to both Google and Relay for more information.

Bank's move fits a broader pattern at Google of pushing AI deeper into its core products. Gemini has already reshaped Google Search's front end and has been added to Chrome as an optional in-browser assistant. Google recently reported that Gemini has crested 1 billion users, which the source frames as evidence that users are responding well to these AI integrations.

Key facts

  • Relay, an AI workflow automation startup launched in 2021 to be "the new Zapier," is shutting down; paying customers lose access on September 14, having already cut off free users on August 15.
  • Founder and CEO Jacob Bank is rejoining Google as VP of Product for Chrome, leading the Chrome product and developer relations teams, per his LinkedIn.
  • Bank previously spent a little over six years at Google after his scheduling startup Timeful was acquired in 2015, working as product lead for Gmail, Calendar and Chat before leaving to found Relay.
  • Some Relay staff are joining Bank at Google's Chrome team, though the source does not say how many.
  • Bank calls Chrome "a perfect place to collaborate with agents" and teases "ambitious plans" for AI in Chrome, with details to follow.

Why it matters

Relay's shutdown removes one of the more visible AI workflow automation startups from the market, but the more consequential detail is where its founder lands: back inside Google, running product for Chrome. Bank's hire signals that Google sees the browser itself, not just search, as a front line for AI agents; he already frames Chrome as "a perfect place to collaborate with agents" and promises unspecified plans to bring AI deeper into it. The move comes as Gemini has already reshaped Google Search and crossed 1 billion users after being added to Chrome as an optional assistant, so Bank's appointment reads as Google doubling down on a strategy that is already working for it.

Who it affects

Relay's paying customers need to find a replacement workflow tool before September 14; free users already lost access on August 15. Some, but not all, of Relay's staff are following Bank to Google, though the source does not specify how many or what happens to the rest of the team. Inside Google, Bank now leads Chrome's product and developer relations organization, putting him in charge of shaping how third-party developers and features interact with the browser going forward.

How to use it

There is no product left to use: Relay is closing, not pivoting, and the source names no successor tool or migration path. The only concrete dates are the shutdown milestones: free access ended August 15, and paid access ends September 14, after which the app disappears entirely. Whatever Bank's "ambitious plans" for AI in Chrome amount to remains unannounced; he says only that more details are coming.

How solid is it

The account comes from Bank's own company announcement, his posts on X and his LinkedIn profile, as reported by TechCrunch. TechCrunch says it reached out to both Google and Relay for more information, but the source does not report any additional response from either company beyond what Bank posted himself, so the story rests on a single, interested party's version of events.

Risks and caveats

The source gives no reason for Relay's shutdown, whether funding, competition or something else, and discloses no financial terms for Bank's or his colleagues' move to Google, so it is not clear whether this qualifies as an acquihire. The exact number of Relay staff joining Google's Chrome team is not stated, nor are any specifics of the "ambitious plans" Bank has teased for AI in Chrome.

“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.”

— Jacob Bank, Relay founder and CEO