Intro

What if you could clone your best employee—not to replace others, but to help every team member offload their most repetitive, soul-draining tasks? That’s the vision Jacob Bank is chasing with Relay.app.

A serial entrepreneur with product leadership stints at Gmail and Google Calendar (following the acquisition of his last company, Timeful), Jacob is now building a platform that empowers anyone—not just technical teams—to create custom AI agents. These agents handle the grunt work, so real people can focus on real impact.

In this conversation, we explore the kinds of tasks AI is already great at, the biggest misconception holding leaders back, and what it actually looks like to start using Relay today.

5 Key Takeaways

1. Start small, win fast – Relay users often begin with low-stakes tasks like summarizing newsletters to quickly experience AI's power without the risk.
   
   
2. AI thrives on structure – Great use cases include data extraction, summarization, synthesis, and content generation—especially when clear inputs and outputs are defined.
   
   
3. Trust is earned – Business leaders worry about quality, but Jacob recommends thinking of AI like a new hire: start with supervision, then expand its role.
   
   
4. Productivity with a heartbeat – At companies like Skyflow, Relay agents automate routine workflows but keep humans in the loop to preserve personalization.
   
   
5. No tech team required – Most Relay customers are SMBs without big budgets or engineering staff. Getting started is as simple as watching a demo and importing a template.
   
   

Full Interview with Jacob Bank, CEO of Relay.app

Q: Relay helps businesses automate workflows with AI agents—what specific challenges are you solving for business leaders?

We all have too much work and too little time. More specifically, AI excels at things like data extraction (e.g. pulling info from invoices), summarization (e.g. condensing transcripts), content creation (e.g. drafting LinkedIn posts), synthesis (e.g. customer insight reports), and research (e.g. prepping before meetings). Every business has tasks in these categories—usually done manually today.

Q: Can you share a transformation story from a Relay customer?

Sure—Skyflow is a great example. They use Relay to deliver a high-quality, personalized customer experience across the lifecycle: onboarding, implementation, QBRs, expansions. What used to take hours is now handled automatically by AI agents—with a human in the loop for final review. It's scalable and still feels human.

Q: Beyond productivity, how does this affect teams more broadly?

It’s freeing. When people can delegate the repetitive stuff to AI, they get more time for the creative, high-leverage work they actually enjoy.

Q: What's the biggest hesitation leaders have about using AI agents?

Trust. People wonder, “Will it do a good job?” Totally fair. That’s why we advocate for guardrails—give the AI limited access, clear instructions, and a human reviewer. It’s like onboarding a new employee: start small and supervise. Over time, confidence grows.

Q: What’s the fastest way for a non-technical team to launch an agent with Relay?

Start with something like newsletter summarization. It’s easy, low stakes, and gives you a quick win. Just import the template, connect your email, and let the AI go. We even have step-by-step demo videos to walk you through it.

Q: How quickly can teams expect to see ROI? Is Relay viable for SMBs?

Absolutely. Most of our users are small businesses. You don’t need a budget or an engineering team—you can get started for free and see value within minutes. ROI scales as you build more agents across the org.

Q: You’ve led product at Google and founded Timeful—what did you learn from those experiences?

One big thing: tool builders often obsess over features, not outcomes. At Gmail, we spent ages perfecting the reply button—but ignored broader workflows like creating a follow-up task or sending a doc. At Relay, we focus on helping users complete real-world workflows, not just interact with our UI.

Q: What’s your personal favorite Relay agent?

My meeting briefing generator. It preps me with LinkedIn bios, previous conversations, and context so I walk into every meeting ready. It’s not just about saving time—it removes mental overhead.

Q: What excites you most about the future of AI agents?

Making Relay accessible to everyone—especially non-technical users. That means better integrations and a simpler, more intuitive experience for building agents.

Q: How can someone start using Relay today?

Join one of our weekly “Build With Me” sessions—Wednesdays at 9:30am PST. No tech experience needed. You’ll leave with your first working AI agent. Sign up at events.relay.app.

Or start for free here.