MyPillow's Mike Lindell is stepping down after 22 years as CEO
MyPillow’s Mike Lindell is stepping down as CEO after 22 years on the job.
Lindell, a Trump ally, said on Facebook on Tuesday that he’d made one of the “biggest decisions” of his life: stepping down as CEO to dedicate all his “time and energy” to his campaign for Minnesota governor.
“Minnesota deserves my full attention, and that’s exactly what I’m giving it. I’m all in, and I can’t wait to earn your vote,” Lindell said on Facebook.
James Furlong, who was MyPillow’s president from 2004 to 2019, is the company’s new CEO. MyPillow said in a press release on Tuesday that Lindell’s ownership has been reduced to a minority stake — but he’ll stay on the company’s board.
“The current team with Jim will be the best at moving forward and expanding MyPillow,” Lindell told Business Insider on Tuesday night.
Lindell founded MyPillow in Minnesota in 2004, after a dream he had about the company’s name, logo, and a foam pillow that could hold its shape.
According to Lindell’s 2019 memoir, “What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO,” Lindell and his son experimented with making the pillows’ foam filling by hand.
Lindell then built the business by marketing the products at trade shows and kiosks, scaling the company up during the 2000s infomercial boom.
He told Business Insider that what he would miss most about being CEO is his employees.
“They are like family,” Lindell said.
Minnesota’s primary elections are scheduled for August 11. The election will be held on November 3, when voters will elect Minnesota’s next governor.
Lindell has spent years — and millions of dollars — trying to prove voter fraud in the 2020 election.
He also spent years embroiled in a billion-dollar defamation lawsuit filed in 2021 by the voting machine company formerly known as Dominion Voting Systems. The company, now known as Liberty Vote, settled the lawsuit with Lindell in July for an undisclosed amount.
Lindell has also previously sought political office. In 2023, he unsuccessfully ran for chair of the Republican National Committee.