Mike Lindell just walked away from the company that made him famous. After 22 years as MyPillow's CEO, he stepped down to give his full attention to his Republican campaign for Minnesota governor.
Today, I’ve made one of the biggest decisions of my life. I'm stepping down as CEO of MyPillow so I can devote 100% of my time and energy to my campaign for Governor of Minnesota.
— Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) August 4, 2026
Minnesota deserves my full attention, and that's exactly what I'm giving it. I'm all in, and I… pic.twitter.com/bqC10IWkSz
For a man who has spent years being mocked, sued, boycotted, and written off, retreat would have been understandable.
Lindell chose the harder road.
Most candidates preserve a business as a fallback, and Lindell has done the reverse. He gave up daily control of the company tied to his name just days before the primary, knowing a defeat wouldn't restore what he left behind.
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.
Say what you will about Mike Lindell, but nobody can question his loyalty to President Donald Trump or his love of America. Trump has now given Lindell his complete endorsement in the Aug. 11 Republican primary. Lindell stayed beside him when doing so carried a real price, long before another political campaign offered a possible reward.
Honesty requires recognizing why much of the backlash hit. Lindell made sweeping claims about the 2020 election, and some of his legal trouble followed those words.
He owns those statements and their consequences. Still, major retailers dropped MyPillow as organized pressure grew, social media platforms barred him, and critics celebrated every financial wound.
Many on the left weren't satisfied with challenging his claims; they wanted him erased from public life.
Lindell, however, refused to disappear. His life had already been marked by addiction, recovery, faith, and the slow construction of a Minnesota business. He built MyPillow from an idea into a national brand and later created a network intended to connect people battling addiction with faith-based help.
Political polish didn't create his appeal: survival did.
Minnesota voters now have to decide whether survival and loyalty can become effective government. Lindell's platform centers on fraud, taxes, schools, public safety, veterans, agriculture, and election rules.
Those are state concerns, not cable-news decorations. He's asking voters to judge him by whether he will fight for them with the same intensity he brought to defending Trump.
Gov. Tim "Jazz-Hands" Walz offers the clearest contrast, even though he's not seeking a third term. Walz became a national Democratic figure while serious failures grew inside Minnesota government.
A state legislative audit found that the Minnesota Department of Education's inadequate oversight created opportunities for the Feeding Our Future fraud. The department missed warning signs, failed to use its authority effectively, and was unprepared for the misconduct it faced.
Walz often governed as if the movement's approval settled the argument. Minnesotans were left to carry the cost when administration, oversight, and accountability fell short.
Lindell presents himself as the opposite: a businessman who had been bruised by political warfare and wants government focused on people who work, pay taxes, raise families, and expect basic competence.
Lindell still has plenty to prove. Loyalty isn't a governing plan, and courage can't replace judgment. A governor must build coalitions, manage agencies, respect legal limits, and deliver results after the applause ends.
Mike Lindell has emerged as the central figure in the race for Minnesota governor, having his residency questioned by his own Republican Party and as of Tuesday saying he’ll step away from his MyPillow leadership job to focus full time on his campaign.
Lindell told MPR News that he’ll transition away from the Chaska-based manufacturing company while remaining on the board of directors.
“I have to step away and use all that expertise,” Lindell said of his decision to give up his chief executive officer title and reduce his ownership to a minority stake. “I'm going 100 percent all in for Minnesota, and I didn't want anyone in Minnesota thinking that I'm dividing my time.”
It was just one of several developments of late about an outsider’s campaign that took off this summer.
Lindell's residency was put under question by the Minnesota Republican Party, escalating a feud between a leading candidate and the party he hopes to represent on the November ballot.
In the interview Tuesday, Lindell strongly pushed back on the suggestion he isn’t eligible to run.
"I've been a resident here for a year and a half — six months early before I was required to — so he's putting out lies to get media out there,” Lindell said of the state GOP chair, Alex Plechash.
Minnesota Republicans should test him, and hard, on each one of those duties.
Mike Lindell doesn't need pity; he needs votes while earning a fair hearing. He left the company he built to enter a political arena filled with people who have spent years hoping he would surrender.
Minnesota may choose someone else, but nobody can honestly claim Lindell lacked the nerve to stand up and be counted.
Mike Lindell’s story raises a larger question: Who gets heard after the political machine decides someone should disappear? Join PJ Media VIP for independent reporting and commentary that won’t bend to the approved script. Use promo code FIGHT to save 60% today.
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