Relay founder Jacob Bank returns to Google as VP of Product for Chrome, following its July closure announcement.

AI automation startup Relay is shutting down. The company will cut paying customer access on September 14, after free users lost access on August 15. Founder and CEO Jacob Bank will join Google as VP of Product for Google Chrome.

Bank previously spent more than six years at Google, joining in 2015 when the company acquired his scheduling app Timeful. He worked on Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat before leaving to launch Relay in 2021. Relay offered businesses workflow automation for repetitive tasks like document drafting and copyediting.

The shutdown leaves Relay customers without a supported tool for their automated document and project workflows. Businesses should migrate their automations before the September cutoff and evaluate alternative platforms. Google’s hiring of Relay’s leadership signals a plan to embed AI automation directly into the Chrome browser experience.

Bank will lead product and developer relations for Chrome, and he teases ambitious plans for AI collaboration in the browser. The move follows Google’s integration of Gemini into search and Chrome, where it serves as an optional assistant. Gemini recently surpassed 1 billion users, showing appetite for AI enhancements.

What matters

• Relay will end paying customer access on September 14, after free access closed on August 15.
• Closure pushes builders to migrate automated workflows before Google absorbs Relay’s talent into Chrome.
• Watch for AI agent collaboration in Chrome, which Bank calls a perfect space for agents.

Why it matters

Watch for AI agent collaboration in Chrome, which Bank calls a perfect space for agents.

This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by TechCrunch AI. Source reference: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/ai-automation-startup-relay-shuts-down-staff-joins-googles-chrome-team/.

Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.