Nice feedback!
As a beginner, I always write a numbers of lines, test the result by "print" and only if all works - do "pythonization" :) trying to get a single line code

You literally did the same thing as the top solution though lol

Uhh Good Job try man, event its hard to read ur code.

Ok ! I got it ! For the future lost guys after me :
You cut only once ! I thought it was 1 cut, then 1 cut, then 1 cut... In fact, you have the same big cube, and the cut results in many small cubes, in only one operation ; if cuts=1, then you cut in the middle of the cube, in three directions. If cuts=4, then it's like you cut it 12 times (4*3) at the same time.
Good luck ! :)

I read it several times, and I still don't understand...
Don't get the examples either... :D

Every math operation is a kind of bit manipulation.
So if you are talking about the hexadecimal representation - it has nothing to do with aformentioned manipulation.

why it shouldn't?

But does it matter? ;-)