A concurrent optimization of stable reproduction (and nothing more) modulated by natural+emergent logistic maps.

Personally, and in hindsight ofc, I find abiogenesis much more miraculous than the life/evolution following it, cause the latter was sort of obvious and almost indestructible by its nature after it all started. It sort of just happens unamazingly in the complexity space it is lazily exploring (which itself is amazing that it exists).

Only intelligent agents can explore it with a goal different from (but still including) stable reproduction.

Hacks imply some amount of intelligence, identifying a flaw or shortcoming, and trying some innovation to work around it.