Rands is the pen name and alter ego of Michael Lopp (born 1970 in California), a blogger, software engineering manager, and webcomic author.

Lopp originally used the name "Rands" as his chat room handle, and it is his persona when writing about software management.

Starting in 1996, Lopp wrote The BitSifter Digest, a website that published "the more interesting collections of bits which arrive at our desks" once a week, which increased in frequency and became daily by 2001.

According to Steve Baldwin of disobey.com's Ghost Sites, it received recognition for its "pioneering use of borderless frames" and "topical, eclectic editorial content", and "was an important forerunner of the 'Blog.

Lopp is represented by William Morris Agency (WMA) and is acting as executive consultant for the new series expected to begin streaming Q1 of 2026.