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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.

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Cheryl Teh

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Cheryl is the news editor for Business Insider's Asia bureau in Singapore.Her team covers global news, including retail trends, military tech, and US politics. She frequently speaks on international media about top news stories — please email her for booking.As a reporter, Cheryl specializes in the business of nerdworld, covering crews like Critical Role and Dimension 20, as well as new releases in mobile and video gaming.Cheryl joined Business Insider in 2021. She was previously a journalist at the crime and consumer desks at the Straits Times, Singapore's national paper, and a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. She has an MA in Cultural and Creative Industries from King's College London.Selected features:

• The cofounders of nerdworld giant Critical Role are expanding in 5 areas. Here's an inside look at their master plan.
• Dimension 20 just played a sold-out gig at Madison Square Garden. Here's what is next for one of the nerdworld business' biggest names.
• Our quest to make AI love us back is futile — and dangerous
• I watched 60 hours of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's 96-hour election-fraud livestream so you don't have to. Here are 5 things you missed.
• Japan is trying to lure people into rural areas by selling $500 homes, but it's not enough to fix the country's 'ghost town' problem
• South Korea's millennials say their lives aren't that different from 'Squid Game' as they face a crisis of mounting debt, unaffordable homes, and dead-end jobs
• More and more Chinese 20-somethings are rejecting the rat race and 'lying flat' after watching their friends work themselves to death
• People are pouring into the streets in China to protest COVID lockdowns. It's a rare moment of mass dissent, and experts say it's a demonstration to Xi — and the world.