Google Hires Jacob Bank as Chrome Product VP, Bringing Relay Team for AI Push

2 articles · Updated · 9to5Google · Aug 17

Jacob Bank has rejoined Google as Chrome’s VP of Product, with several Relay.app employees joining the browser team as Google deepens AI integration in Chrome.
Bank said Chrome is already many users’ primary productivity workspace and the right place to collaborate with AI agents, signaling plans to help users get work done directly inside the browser.
Google is tapping a product leader with a long internal track record: after Google bought his Timeful startup in 2015, Bank led Gmail, Calendar and Chat features including Smart Reply, Smart Compose and Nudging.
That background fits Chrome’s current AI direction, where Google already offers Gemini in Chrome with browser-specific tools and broader efforts to make the browser a hub for agent-driven work.