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The Heresy of Breakthrough Startups | by Mike Maples, Jr. | Sep, 2025 | Medium

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In Florence, one of Galileo’s telescopes is on display. It’s a simple leather tube with scratched glass and optics that look primitive today. Yet it was enough to overturn a conviction that had guided human thought for centuries: Earth was not the fixed center of the cosmos but just another planet in motion. The Church felt threatened by Galileo’s new way of seeing the universe. In 1633, they put him on trial, forced him to recant his view, and kept him under house arrest for the rest of his life. They could silence his voice for a while, but they couldn’t erase his discovery. Centuries later, even the Church admitted the truth of what he had seen. Galileo’s greatest achievement was not the telescope itself. Others could make lenses. The breakthrough was Galileo’s willingness to see differently, to question what tradition declared unquestionable. The tool mattered less than the insight it led to. This is similar to what we see in pattern-breaking startups. What begins as heresy often b

Press enter or click to view image in full size Galileo recanting his view that Earth is not the center of the Universe The Heresy of Breakthrough Startups Breakthrough startups happen when founders refuse a hidden assumption, replace it with a better explanation, and make it impossible for early believers to unsee. Mike Maples, Jr. 9 min read · Sep 30, 2025 -- 25 Listen Share In Florence, one of Galileo’s telescopes is on display. It’s a simple leather tube with scratched glass and optics that look primitive today. Yet it was enough to overturn a conviction that had guided human thought for c

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