Relay shuts down and its CEO heads to Google Chrome
The AI workflow startup is closing its doors in September. Its founder is joining Google as VP of Product for Chrome, where he says he has "ambitious plans" for AI.
Key points
- Relay, an AI workflow automation startup founded in 2021, will cut off paying customers on 14 September 2025.
- Free users lost access on 15 August 2025, following a closure announcement made in July.
- Jacob Bank, Relay's founder and CEO, is joining Google as VP of Product for Google Chrome.
- Google's Gemini AI assistant, which is already built into Chrome as an optional in-browser helper, recently passed 1 billion users.
- Bank says Chrome is "a perfect place to collaborate with agents," hinting at deeper AI features to come.
Relay is closing. The AI-powered workflow tool, which launched in 2021 and aimed to help businesses automate repetitive tasks like document drafting and project management, will shut off access for paying customers on 14 September 2025. Free users lost access on 15 August.
Founder and CEO Jacob Bank made the announcement on Monday. The closure itself was first signalled in July, first reported by TechCrunch AI.
Where is Bank going?
Bank is rejoining Google as VP of Product for Chrome. He will lead the product and developer relations teams for the browser used by billions of people worldwide.
This is not his first time at the company. Bank joined Google in 2015 when it acquired his earlier startup, Timeful, a scheduling app. During his first stint, he served as product lead for Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Chat before leaving to build Relay.
"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," Bank wrote in a post on X. "And joining the Chrome team is an ideal opportunity to bring those experiences to many, many more people."
He added: "We have some really ambitious plans to help you work with AI in Chrome to get things done, and I'll have more to share soon."
What does this mean for Chrome users?
Google has already woven its Gemini AI assistant, an optional helper built directly into the browser, into Chrome. The scale is significant: Gemini recently crossed 1 billion users across Google's products.
Bank described Chrome as "a perfect place to collaborate with agents," where an AI agent is software that can carry out multi-step tasks on your behalf, rather than just answering a single question. That framing suggests future Chrome features could go well beyond a chat window in the corner of the screen.
Exactly what form those features take, and when they arrive, Bank has not yet said. His track record spans productivity tools built around making repetitive work faster, so the direction, if not the details, seems clear.
What should Relay customers do right now?
If you pay for Relay, you have until 14 September to export your data and move your automated workflows to another tool. Comparable services include Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat), both of which handle the same kind of task automation Relay was built for.
Do not wait. Export everything you need before the deadline, and test your replacement workflows before the old ones go dark.
