Clief Notes: How Jake Van Clief Built a 44,000-Member Free AI Skool

Clief Notes is the rare top-earning Skool that is free to join, and it uses that openness to build enormous reach: more than 44,000 members learning the durable structure underneath AI rather than chasing every model update. Jake Van Clief teaches folder architecture, prompt frameworks, and computing fundamentals, the "thinking that survives every update," backed by an unusual credential stack. With about 44,422 members, it is a top-73 earner on the Skool Games leaderboard. This breakdown looks at how a free front door plus a durable promise create scale.

The founder does the selling

Jake Van Clief

The founder of Clief Notes. A Marine veteran who worked on cryptographic systems and F-35/F-18 avionics, and an Edinburgh researcher who has trained more than 1,000 people at Fortune 500 companies and top universities. He teaches the durable fundamentals of AI: structure, prompt frameworks, and computing basics most people skip.

Jake sells durability against churn. The pain he names is specific and true for anyone using AI: the tools change, so your skills keep resetting. His answer is to teach the layer underneath, the folder architecture, prompt frameworks, and computing fundamentals that do not expire when a new model drops. Making the community free removes every barrier to the top of that funnel, which is how it reaches 44,000-plus members, and his credential stack (military avionics, cryptography, an Edinburgh research post, Fortune 500 training) supplies the authority that a free offer usually lacks.

What Clief Notes sells

The about page names the pain, promises durability, lists the free lessons, then stacks an unusual credential and a no-friction call to action. Below is their about page word for word, with the key parts numbered. Hover a number to see what each line is doing.

Read as a builder, this page is a scale engine. Naming the "relearn AI every update" pain hooks anyone who has felt it, and the promise of durable structure is the antidote. Free entry removes the barrier that keeps most communities small, which is how Clief Notes reaches 44,000-plus members, while the credential stack (avionics, cryptography, an Edinburgh research role, Fortune 500 training) provides the authority a free offer usually cannot. The closing line asks for nothing but a click, so the top of the funnel fills fast.

The funnel, step by step

Clief Notes converts on a durable promise with zero friction, then uses its scale and authority as the foundation for everything downstream.

The retention engine is durability plus growth. Because the lessons teach fundamentals that do not expire and new ones arrive monthly, members have reason to keep coming back rather than treating it as a one-time watch. A free community of this size is also an asset in itself: it builds authority, feeds a mailing list and content flywheel, and creates the audience from which any higher-tier offer can later be sold.

The formula you can copy

Sell what lasts. In a fast-moving field, promising the durable layer ("structure that lasts a decade") beats promising the latest trick that resets next month.

Use free to build scale. Removing price and friction fills the top of the funnel fast, which is how a community reaches tens of thousands of members.

Back a free offer with real authority. A strong credential stack gives a free community the credibility it would otherwise lack. See other Tech breakdowns in The Cyber Range, Vibe Coding Academy, and the top of the Skool leaderboard.

Frequently asked questions

What is Clief Notes?

A free Skool community by Jake Van Clief that teaches the durable fundamentals of AI, including folder architecture, prompt frameworks, and computing basics, through 40-plus lessons that grow monthly. It is a top-73 earner on the Skool Games leaderboard with more than 44,000 members.

Who is Jake Van Clief?

The founder, a Marine veteran who worked on cryptographic systems and F-35/F-18 avionics and an Edinburgh researcher who has trained over 1,000 people at Fortune 500 companies and universities.

Is Clief Notes really free?

The about page invites members to join free and start the first lesson immediately, which is a large part of how the community reached its scale. Check the community page for any higher-tier options.

What is the lesson for other community builders?

Promise the durable layer rather than the latest trick, use a free, zero-friction front door to build scale, and back it with genuine authority so a free community earns trust and becomes the foundation for everything downstream.