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.
New check
Comparison
Rands in Repose vs Staffeng
Rands in Repose lands on Worth it, and Staffeng lands on Depends.
Staffeng
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy the book if you're a senior engineer chasing or adjusting to the staff title . it's cheap, well-reviewed, and the guides are free.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Depends |
| Best for | First-time engineering managers | Senior engineers eyeing the staff jump |
| Who it's not for | Anyone shopping for management software or tools | Teams shopping for software . it's a book, not a platform |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Personal site; no support org | No support model evident in sources |
| Public sentiment | Two decades of readers recommend it to new engineering managers; criticism is rare and mild.⁶ | Book reviews and Reddit threads consistently recommend StaffEng for engineers navigating the senior-to-staff transition. |
| Biggest gotcha | Newer content lives on Substack; follow both or you'll miss posts.³ | Beware lookalike domain . a separate engineer-hiring marketplace, not this site |
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 Staffeng when
- Senior engineers eyeing the staff jump
- Freshly promoted staff engineers
- Leaders designing staff+ career ladders
When Staffeng is not a fit
- Teams shopping for software . it's a book, not a platform
- Junior engineers far from the staff level
- Anyone wanting coaching, community, or certification
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
- Staff Engineer book pagestaffeng.comofficial
- Staff Engineer guides . introductionstaffeng.comofficial
- Staff archetypes guidestaffeng.comofficial
official
- StaffEng Podcast . Dylan Vassallo (OpenAI)podcast.staffeng.comofficial
- Self-publishing Staff Engineer (author blog)lethain.comofficial