It seems that most comments here (and the post itself) are conflating "Hacking" with "Cheating". Cheating would be something similar to placing your name on th

It seems that most comments here (and the post itself) are conflating "Hacking" with "Cheating". Cheating would be something similar to placing your name on the interview list, bypassing the need for an application. Hacking is figuring out the rules to the system and using them to your advantage. Examples from other posts: "Taking Adderall" Taking Adderall is hacking your biochemistry. Taking it to misrepresent your abilities to potential employers is cheating.* *unless there are proven long term benefits to Adderall? "Doping" Doping is hacking your biochemistry. Using it to win a biking race is cheating if the rules prohibit it. "Spending years studying for the GMAT" That's just studying. There is no hacking, and no cheating going on here. Hacking would be finding a way to remember more about the GMAT in less time. Cheating would be using a cheat sheet. "Autotuning" Autotuning is a vocal effect. It also degrades the quality of your voice. Comparing a trained vocalist with someone using auto-tune is no contest, the trained vocalist will always perform better. "Creating higher visibility by posting on HN" This is hacking. The rules of News.YC have been used to garner greater mindshare with the partners that review applications. This is using one process to have an effect on a different process. In conclusion Hacking is a mentality, Hacking != Cheating even though sometimes one may be an integral part to the other.