Rands in Repose
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
There is nothing to buy: this is Michael Lopp's free blog on engineering leadership, respected for over 20 years.
Comparison
Rands in Repose vs First Round Review
Rands in Repose and First Round Review both land on Worth it.
First Round Review
Worth it
Confidence: Low
Nothing to buy: First Round Review is free tactical content published by a venture firm, not software.
| Compare | Rands in Repose | First Round Review |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Worth it |
| Best for | First-time engineering managers | First-time founders |
| Who it's not for | Anyone shopping for management software or tools | Anyone shopping for software . this is a blog |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.14 |
| Support quality | Personal site; no support org | N/A: no support model exists |
| Public sentiment | Two decades of readers recommend it to new engineering managers; criticism is rare and mild.⁶ | No direct user reviews found in the sources; search results conflate it with unrelated interview-prep products.16 |
| Biggest gotcha | Newer content lives on Substack; follow both or you'll miss posts.³ | No security page found . fine for reading, but no vendor posture to assess.14 |
Pick Rands in Repose when
- First-time engineering managers
- Tech leads running 1:1s
- Fans of long-form opinion essays
- Leaders hiring and retaining developers
When Rands in Repose is not a fit
- Anyone shopping for management software or tools
- Non-engineering teams . it's software-culture focused
- People wanting templates, courses, or certifications
- Buyers expecting vendor support, SLAs, or security docs
Pick First Round Review when
- First-time founders
- New startup managers
- Operators researching pricing or PMF playbooks
When First Round Review is not a fit
- Anyone shopping for software . this is a blog
- Teams wanting structured training or certification
- Non-startup businesses; advice is venture-startup specific
Sources
- Rands in Repose - Stories about the humans who build softwarerandsinrepose.comofficial
- About - Rands in Reposerandsinrepose.comofficial
- The Leadership Newsletter | Michael Lopp | Substackrands.substack.comofficial
- Rands in Repose on performance reviewsproduct.hubspot.comreview
review
- Need advice : r/ITManagersreddit.comreview
- Rands in Repose: How to Run a 1:1news.ycombinator.comreview
- The human side of world-class engineering leadership (First Round)review.firstround.comnews
- Mastering the Art of Managing with Michael Lopp (Enrich)joinenrich.comnews
- Rands in Repose Digital Project | CrowdFavorite Case Studycrowdfavorite.comnews
- First Round Reviewreview.firstround.comofficial
- First Round: Homefirstround.comofficial
- In Depth . a podcast from First Round Reviewyoutube.comofficial
- Security pagereview.firstround.comsecurity
- The Best First Round Review Articles for Early Stage Companieskazanjy.svbtle.comreview
review