"What's the breakthrough here? It seems they just mated peanut butter with jelly between two slices of bread, all of which we've already had for decades"
This is the novelty. Basically improving on other camera systems by making the optics better. There are plenty of surveillance cameras that offer a similar set of features but perhaps with lower specs (slower AF, less effective processing algorithms, etc.). But I don't think they claimed to be a breakthrough invention, just an excellent first step into the field and a possible improvement over some of the competing offerings. This is more or less standard for border security applications, as an example [0].
There are many extreme long range surveillance systems that probably do a lot better... at potentially multiple hundreds of thousands of $ per unit.
[0] https://www.kowa-lenses.com/en/applications/cctv-security/42...
I strongly believe that this was always the case. There was never a 'breakthrough' invention.
You could say the same for tons of successful products, from instant noodles to ride hailing apps.
We are all very smart. But the universe is also very vast. We do not have all — not nearly all — of even the basic, bronze-age technologies that an alternate human civilization could have developed.
Of course there are simple tricks left involving photosensitive semiconductors and modern optical engineering, is my point.
Although maybe the folks buying them mount them on light poles or other non-steady bases.
(skip around)