Relay Co-Founder Joins Google's Chrome Team Amid Shutdown
Google's Chrome team has gained two key members in Jacob Bank and some of his former colleagues from the now-shuttered AI startup Relay. Bank, who co-founded Relay in 2021 as an alternative to Zapier for automating work with AI, announced on Monday that customers will lose access to the tool by September 14.
Free users lost access already on August 15, after a July announcement of the closure. The shutdown comes less than three years after Relay launched.
Bank is returning to Google, where he worked from 2015 to 2021 before leaving to build Relay. He will oversee Chrome's product and developer-relations work as VP of Product for Chrome.
The integration of AI into the browsing experience is expected to be a key focus area for Bank and his team, building on Chrome's existing Gemini assistant, which can already be turned on or off within the browser.