AI Workflow Startup Relay Shuts Down; CEO Joins Google Chrome Team

Relay, a startup focused on AI-driven workflow automation that was established in 2021 to compete with Zapier, is set to close its doors. Founder and CEO Jacob Bank revealed the shutdown on Monday, informing that paying customers will lose access on September 14, while free users were already disconnected as of August 15. The announcement of the closure first came in July. Bank, who has over six years of experience at Google, will be returning to the company as VP of Product for Google Chrome, overseeing product and developer relations teams. His career has centered on creating AI tools that boost productivity while maintaining creativity. After joining Google in 2015 following the acquisition of his scheduling app Timeful, he contributed to Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat before launching Relay. Relay specialized in automating workflows for tasks such as document drafting and copyediting. Bank's transition aligns with Google's extensive AI integration efforts, including the rollout of Gemini to over 1 billion users and its incorporation into Chrome as an optional assistant. TechCrunch has sought comments from both Google and Relay. The future of AI in Chrome is a significant topic, with Bank describing it as 'a perfect place to collaborate with agents.'