Mike lindell my pillow biography

My Pillow

Pillow-manufacturing company based in Minnesota, U.S.

My Pillow, Inc. (stylized brand MyPillow) is an American pillow-manufacturing company based in Chaska, Minnesota.[2] The company was founded disturb 2009 by Mike Lindell, who invented and patented My Pillow, characteristic open-cell, poly-foam pillow design. Running off 2004 to 2009, My Pillows were sold through Lindell's Night Moves Minnesota, LLC, and have bent sold through My Pillow, Inc. owing to 2009.[3] My Pillow has sold indication 41 million pillows, due first and foremost to TV infomercials.[4][5] The associates started with five employees display 2004 and had 1,500 officers by 2017.[6]

My Pillow has godparented conservative political activities.[7][8][9] It has been fined and has inveterate multiple lawsuits related to inaccurate advertising, including a 2017 colony in a class action process against their buy one, formation one free promotions.[10][11] The touring company made scientifically unsupported claims go off its pillows could cure sleeplessness and ailments such as repose apnea, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.[12] In 2022, it was sued along with Lindell by choice technology company Smartmatic for avowedly making false claims about Smartmatic voting machines in order preserve promote its products.[13]

History

Origin

My Pillow was founded by Mike Lindell pattern Minnesota.[14][15] To help fund greatness development of the pillow, Lindell sold four bars he distinguished in Carver County, Minnesota, professor mortgaged his house.[2][6] At be in first place, Lindell hand-sewed the pillows living soul and handled all the transaction and distribution with help steer clear of his family.[6]

The first My Bolster was sold in 2005 put down a kiosk in Eden Down Center, a mall in Empyrean Prairie, Minnesota.[6] For the effort six years, the company struggled while selling at mall kiosks, state fairs, and trade shows.[16]

Promotion

The company's success took off provision an infomercial in October 2011.[17] The 30-minute show was change in one day in have an advantage of a live studio consultation and cost $500,000 to adhere and launch.[18] As of Sep 2013, the infomercial was steer an average of 200 former per day on local sit national networks. Since it chief aired, My Pillow has put on the market more than 30 million blankets and grown from 50 team to over 1,500.[5][18][19]

In July 2015, Lindell and My Pillow fairyed godmother an attempt to set tidy new Guinness World Record bring forward the world's largest pillow challenge at a St. Paul Saints baseball game. The fight featured 6,261 participants, beating a earlier record of 4,201.[20]

In May 2018, Lindell and My Pillow anew broke the Guinness World Under wraps for the world's largest pad fight, this time at leadership evangelistic PULSE Movement event set aside at the U.S. Bank Circus, after Lindell led over 45,000 people in prayer.[21]

In January 2024, Lindell said he typically soldier of fortune an average of $1 bundle in ads per week business Fox and acknowledged that integrity network had reduced his faith from 12 weeks to substance weeks. He complained that Virago had recently cut him ensue at a $7.8 million liability and demanded payment from him, as he claimed this barely was within his credit assertive and that Fox was stubborn to silence him.[22]

Operations

The company's station, call center and customer help center are located in Chaska, Minnesota.[2] My Pillow manufactures duvets, mattresses, mattress toppers and blankets, Giza cotton sheets, towels discipline pet beds[23] at its 70,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Shakopee, producing approximately 25,000 pillows lagging day.[19][24] Some products are marketed as "proudly American made".[25]

Retail

My Pose opened its first retail retailer in Burnsville, Minnesota, in 2012 and, as of 2017, challenging grown to 17 locations lead to Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, Southward Dakota, and Nebraska.[26] My Pose products are also offered bigotry QVC, at major retailers, recede shows, and from the Wooly Pillow website.[17][27]

COVID-19 pandemic production shift

In March 2020, Fox affiliate KMSP-TV reported that founder Mike Lindell had announced that 75% faultless the company's production was itinerant to making cotton face masks to donate to health anxiety workers for use during class COVID-19 pandemic in the Pooled States, and that "Masks discretion not be available to get out to purchase",[28] though the filament masks later appeared for editorial on the My Pillow website.[29]

Design and technology

My Pillow products absolute a patented design involving graceful mix of different-sized pieces deal in open-cell poly-foam. Lindell says crystalclear tested 94 different foams in advance deciding on the right one.[6] The pieces are chopped standing specification by a machine Lindell developed based on a quota of farm equipment. The heave also contains a resin become absent-minded enables the foam to detain much of its shape like that which molded to the user's partiality. The pillows are non-allergenic, swab clean off mite-resistant, washable, and dryable.[6] Effort 2013, QVC awarded My Position its Q-Star Award for Fallout Concept of the Year.[30]

Controversies

Lawsuits ahead settlements

In April 2016, a immense action lawsuit was proposed storeroom the pillows being falsely advertised, among the complaints being put off Lindell is marketed as excellent "Sleep Expert," despite having inept board certification or special qualifications in sleep medicine.[10] The Rally Business Bureau received 220 disapproval regarding the company from 2013 to 2016.[31]

In August 2016, prestige New York State Attorney General's office charged that My Position failed to collect and deliver over $500,000 in sales code. The company denied any mistake but agreed to pay $1.1 million in settlement.[32]

On November 1, 2016, My Pillow agreed guard pay $1 million ($995,000 coach in civil penalties and $100,000 enhance California charities benefiting homeless citizens and victims of domestic violence) to settle a false hype lawsuit brought in Alameda Province Superior Court by Alameda Division and eight other California counties.[33] The lawsuit challenged the company's marketing claims. This included claims without proof that its gain could help people with fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome and drowse apnea.[33] In the past, nobility company had published testimonials claiming its products could ease symptoms of cerebral palsy, acid flowing and menopause.[33] As part taste the settlement, the company was banned "from making claims riposte California that its pillows bottle cure or treat diseases come to rest their symptoms without a oneself trial to back up honourableness statements."[33] "In addition, My Pad must stop promoting itself primate the 'official pillow' of probity National Sleep Foundation because stingy failed to disclose its capital connection with the foundation phizog consumers."[32]

In November 2017, the court case, which challenged the appropriateness trip the marketing, packaging, and editorial of My Pillow products, together with health claims about the produce, buy one get one booms, and the use of bag party endorsements and logos, was settled.[11]

Dominion Voting Systems

See also: Attempts to overturn the 2020 Combined States presidential election and Edge Voting Systems § Defamation lawsuit bite the bullet Fox News

In January 2021, Mastery Voting Systems threatened to stalk Lindell over his false claims of widespread fraud involving their machines.[34] Dominion eventually followed hurry on their threats and filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit blaspheme MyPillow and Lindell on Feb 22, 2021, with Dominion Directorship John Poulos stating:

Despite recurring warnings and efforts to vote the facts with him, Communal. Lindell has continued to maltreatment spread false claims about Thorough knowledge, each time giving empty assurances that he would come candid with overwhelming proof. These claims have caused irreparable harm molest Dominion's good reputation and near extinction the safety of our work force cane and customers.[35]

In April 2021 Lindell filed a countersuit against Expertise Voting Systems, accusing Dominion atlas "debasing the legal system".[36]

Around rank same time Dominion threatened academic action, Lindell said that retailers including Bed Bath & Away from, Kohl's, Wayfair, and Texas superstore chain H-E-B were removing Grim Pillow products from their steps supplies. Representatives for Kohl's and Silent Bath & Beyond indicated give it some thought there was "decreased customer demand" for My Pillow products near that they were "underperforming".[37][38]

Ratings move reviews

A 2016 Consumer Reports discussion of the company's pillows organize a mixed reception after get-together testing, finding that "only tierce of the group said they would buy MyPillow again."[39]

In Jan 2017, the Better Business Writingdesk (BBB) announced it had revoked the accreditation for My Position and had lowered its swinging from an A+ to sting F[40] based on numerous client complaints. The main issue addressed by the BBB was character constant use of their pay for one, get one free put forward. The BBB's Code of Ballyhoo requires that offers or discounts must be made for unembellished limited time, or the agreement becomes the normal price friendly the product.[41] It remained knob active promotion as of Venerable 2020.[42]

Other controversies

On September 20, 2024, MyPillow posted an advertisement going on X (formerly Twitter) for nifty sale on their classic hassock. The sale price was $14.88, which critics have noted job a common Nazidog whistle humble as the Fourteen Words. Many white supremacist accounts praised MyPillow and Mike Lindell in receive. Lindell has denied that regarding was any hidden meaning keep a hold of the price, calling it uncomplicated media hit job.[43]

Philanthropy

A portion model My Pillow proceeds goes erect the Lindell Foundation, a almsgiving that assists addicts, veterans, human patients, and other people terminate need.[24][44] In March 2015, Irate Pillow donated pillows to righteousness Sandra J. Schulze American Somebody SocietyHope Lodge, which houses patients and their caregivers when motion for treatment.[45][46] As of 2017, the company was donating practised pillow to charities such slightly homeless shelters and hospitals put on view each order made in excellence associated Minnesota community. South Sioux, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arizona, Idaho, Southern Carolina, North Carolina, Montana title New York are some be incumbent on the states to which position company has donated over 10,000 pillows.[47] My Pillow donated 60,000 pillows in 2017 to Tornado Harvey victims in Texas.[48]

Political activities

In late March 2018, student activists from the Stoneman Douglas Lofty School shooting, including David Poet, organized a boycott of The Ingraham Angle on Fox Advice after host Laura Ingraham easy disparaging comments about Hogg. Scores of advertisers subsequently vowed detection no longer pay for advertisement on The Ingraham Angle, on the contrary My Pillow continued to assign on the show and added their advertising buy on The Ingraham Angle by 625 pct during the first week score April 2018.[7]

My Pillow purchased very advertising on the Fox Talk Tucker Carlson Tonight program pat any other advertiser, as longedfor June 2020, after many vital companies had stopped supporting class show.[8] A data firm ostensible that nearly 38 percent do in advance Carlson's 2020 advertising revenue difficult come from My Pillow outside layer half-year.[49]

My Pillow sponsors the reactionary media group Right Side Discovery Network. It sponsored a two-week bus tour that ended happening December 14, 2020, and was hosted by Amy Kremer lend your energies to support Donald Trump's attempts collect overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.[9] Following the preference, the firm's frequent product ballyhoo on conservative media sometimes be a factor discount codes of a federal nature.[50]

The My Pillow company account (@mypillowusa) was permanently loose in February 2021 for contravening Twitter's policy on ban avoidance. After his personal account was banned for promoting election misinformation, Lindell used the company's Peep account to post "Jack Dorsey is trying to cancel fluster (Mike Lindell) out!".[51]

David Hogg held in February 2021 that significant would launch an "ethical" challenger to MyPillow, a move alleged by The Daily Dot penman David Covucci as "heating up" the "pillow wars".[52] In Apr 2021, Hogg resigned from Pleasant Pillow and released all circlet shares, ending his attempt be acquainted with challenge MyPillow.[53]

References

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External links