AI Automation Startup Relay Shuts Down as Founder Joins Google Chrome

Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation startup, is shutting down its operations as its leadership and key staff transition to Google. The move marks a strategic talent acquisition for Google's Chrome team at a time when the company is aggressively expanding its AI ecosystem.

Access to the Relay service is being phased out in stages. Free users lost access to the platform on August 15, and paying customers will lose access on September 14. Following the shutdown, Relay founder and CEO Jacob Bank is rejoining Google as the VP of Product for Google Chrome, where he will lead the product and developer relations teams. Several other Relay staff members are also joining the Chrome team.

A Return to Google

This transition is a homecoming for Bank, who has a long history with the search giant. He previously founded a scheduling application called Timeful, which Google acquired in 2015. Following that acquisition, Bank spent more than six years at Google leading product development for Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat before leaving to launch Relay in 2021.

Bank's return comes as Google scales its Gemini AI, which the company recently reported has surpassed 1 billion monthly users. The integration of Gemini across Google's suite of tools suggests a broader corporate push to embed generative AI into every layer of the user experience.

The Shift Toward Agentic Browsing

The absorption of Relay's talent suggests Google intends to evolve the Chrome browser from a content viewer into a hub for AI-driven task automation. By bringing in a leader experienced in AI workflow automation, Google is positioned to deepen the "agentic" capabilities of Chrome, allowing the browser to execute complex tasks on behalf of the user.

Bank highlighted this strategic direction, stating that joining the Chrome team is an ideal opportunity to bring his experience in building AI productivity tools to a massive global audience. He noted that he has spent his career building tools to help people get more done with AI without sacrificing personal creativity or insights.

What to Watch

While the specific product roadmap remains internal, Bank has teased upcoming developments, stating that Google has "ambitious plans" to help users work with AI within Chrome to get things done. Industry observers will be watching for new Chrome features that mirror Relay's automation capabilities, potentially transforming how users interact with web-based applications through autonomous AI agents.