#54 We’re a 9-person team doing the work of 20—thanks to AI | Jacob Bank, ex-Gmail, CEO of Relay

Jacob Bank, CEO of Relay and former product lead at Gmail, joins Aishwarya Ashok to explore how AI agents are truly reshaping the way we work. He explains why structured AI workflows solve most real-world needs today and highlights the concept of “spiky intelligence,” where AI excels at some tasks but still needs human direction. Jacob emphasizes that the most important skill in this new era isn’t coding, but the ability to clearly define goals and structure problems for AI. He shares practical ways to use AI not just to replace tasks, but to automate complex, cross-platform outcomes—unlocking new levels of productivity and enabling small teams to achieve big results. 00:00 - Intro 1:17 - Welcome 2:34 - Jacob's Journey: From Google to AI Agents 3:25 - Beyond Tools: Focusing on Workflows & Outcomes11:34 - AI Workflows vs AI Agents: What's the Difference?19:43 - The Human Role: Critical Thinking & Future Skills27:30 - Understanding "Spiky Intelligence" in AI31:30 - How to Start Building Your Own AI Agents43:21 - Demo of Relay53:11 - Summary and Outcome of the agent