--- title: "The MyPillow Guy’s Entire Business is Being Held Hostage by Hackers" description: "Data from Mike Lindell's company MyPillow is being held for ransom by a gang of hackers as the entrepreneur gears up for election season." date: "2026-05-27" modified: "2026-05-27" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/mypillow-guy-held-hostage-hackers" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Future Society" - "Hacking" --- # The MyPillow Guy’s Entire Business is Being Held Hostage by Hackers ![Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images]() *A photograph of Mike Lindell cut out in black and white and set against a field of bright red. The image has been scribbled on in the manner of graffiti.* Monstrous defeats keep coming for Mike Lindell, the notorious entrepreneur behind the MyPillow brand and one-time advisor to Donald Trump. According [to *Straight Arrow News*](), a clique of hackers known as "Play" is claiming to have accessed a huge chunk of private data from MyPillow, which it's now holding hostage. Per the outlet, which viewed a communique from the gang, the hackers now have access to "private and personal confidential data, clients' documents, budget, payroll, IDs, taxes, finance information and etc." Lindell's company has been given until Friday, May 29 to respond — or else its data will be published online, the hackers threatened. The amount they're trying to extort hasn't been disclosed, and neither the hackers nor MyPillow responded to *Straight Arrow*'s requests for comment. Play first appeared in 2022, when it orchestrated cyber attacks throughout the US, Brazil, Germany, and Switzerland, among others. Their targets tend to be those associated with government functionaries, like the [Argentinian judiciary](), and an IT firm contracted by the [Swiss Federal Department of Finance](). In that vein, a successful attack on Lindell would be a major trophy. The entrepreneur first met Trump in the run-up to the [2016 presidential election](), a relationship which blossomed as the would-be president ferried the increasingly crankish Lindell around rallies across the country. In 2020, Lindell briefly served as Trump's reelection campaign chair, then [nearly ran for governor]() of Minnesota with his blessings. Later in November of 2022, Lindell [ran for Chair of the Republican National Committee](), though he lost after receiving only 2.4 percent of the total votes. Now in 2026, the MyPillow founder is once again [running for governor]() of Minnesota, having filed all the corresponding paperwork — which is more than he did last election cycle. That said, the hack comes as his finances and personal life are now under perhaps more scrutiny than they've ever been. Given his ties to Trump, who appears to be [backing him again]() in the 2026 election, there could conceivably be some fascinating details lurking in the MyPillow archives. Whether Lindell can pony up to keep them hidden remains to be seen: in [April of 2025]() he admitted that he didn't even have "5 cents" to his name, owing to an avalanche of civil suits and federal investigations stemming from his political antics. **More on hacking:** *[Riot Games Denies Using Anti-Cheat Software That Bricks Hackers' Computers]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()