The problem is the term "hacker" is nebulous enough on its own that to throw it into an entirely different context which may or may not have anything to actuall

The problem is the term "hacker" is nebulous enough on its own that to throw it into an entirely different context which may or may not have anything to actually do with "hacking" causes a lot of confusion. If we would have called it "growth marketing" or something more specific that didn't use the word "hack" there would have never been any confusion whatsoever. Even as a marketer, I don't know when what I'm doing is growth hacking and when it isn't. Is it when I'm building my own tools? Is it when I'm trying to exploit systems? Is it when I'm baking something into the product that will help it spread? Is it only when I'm doing something new and novel? The word isn't well-defined. Now all we can do is debate semantics. Though careful wording is part of my job, bickering about what is or isn't some buzzword isn't what I enjoy. I want to grow products I believe in, so I find it best to call myself a "growth marketer," "marketer who can program," or a "full-stack marketer" depending on the context. The reality is, it doesn't matter what a word meant when it was created if that's not what it means to the person with whom you're communicating.