AI Automation Firm Relay Closes Doors, Founder Joins Google Chrome Team

Relay, an AI-driven automation startup founded in 2021, has officially announced its shutdown, with access for paid users ceasing on September 14, while free users lost access on August 15. The closure follows an earlier announcement made in July.

Jacob Bank, the company's founder and CEO, disclosed that he will be rejoining Google as the VP of Product for Chrome. In a post on X, Bank expressed his excitement about the transition, stating, "I’ve spent my whole career doing one thing: building tools that help people get more done with AI." He emphasized the significant plans ahead to enhance AI functionality within Chrome.

Before establishing Relay, Bank spent over six years at Google, where he led various projects, including Gmail and Google Calendar. Relay was designed to enhance productivity through workflow automation, similar to Bank's previous venture, Timeful, which was acquired by Google in 2015. With the ongoing integration of AI technologies like Gemini within Google products, the future of Chrome seems poised for further innovation, reflecting a broader trend in user experience enhancements.

Source: techcrunch.com