# Relay closes as its CEO and some staff join Google Chrome

_Monday, August 17, 2026 at 5:27 PM EDT · Products · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Relay closes as its CEO and some staff join Google Chrome — Primary](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JacobBank_founder_headshot-e1665566816221.jpg?resize=1200,674)

AI workflow-automation startup Relay is shutting down, while founder and CEO Jacob Bank and some staff are joining Google's Chrome team. Relay said paying customers will lose access on September 14; free customers lost access on August 15. Bank will return to Google as Chrome's vice president of product, leading Chrome product and developer-relations teams. Relay had offered businesses automation for repetitive work including document drafting, copyediting and project-management tasks.

## Sources

- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/ai-automation-startup-relay-shuts-down-staff-joins-googles-chrome-team/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/X6ZVhEBrnpVZBwfSEASfuQ
Retrieved: 2026-08-18T00:23:55.226Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)