Having deep industry knowledge, a product with paying customers and spending a lot of time preparing the application and video is not "hacking" the application process.
I typically think of the term in the way it's used in the question "Please tell us about the time you most successfully hacked some (non-computer) system to your advantage." I.e. something like finding a loophole.
It's too bad, this diverts the discussion on that post around the use of the word, whereas there is some good stuff in there.
if you read the answer to that very question on their application it falls pretty much in line with your parent's characterization: "did a bunch of research and spent a bunch of time on [drafting some legal documents]"
I typically think of the term in the way it's used in the question "Please tell us about the time you most successfully hacked some (non-computer) system to your advantage." I.e. something like finding a loophole.
It's too bad, this diverts the discussion on that post around the use of the word, whereas there is some good stuff in there.