With more than a million species that have already been described, the hexapods (insects and allies) constitute the largest animal group. Still their origin and phylogenetic affinities are matter of intense debate. Although previous morphological work generally considered the millipedes as sister taxon of the hexapods, molecular phylogenetic analyses agree that hexapods are actually closely related to crustaceans. Recent studies have provided evidence that the Remipedia, enigmatic crustaceans that have been discovered only 30 years ago in anchialine cave systems, may be the closest living relatives of hexapods. Support for this hypothesis comes from similar brain architecture, presence of an insect‐type respiratory haemocyanin in remipedes and phylogenomic studies. Thus hexapods may have evolved from a Remipedia‐like marine crustacean. These data evokes doubt on the generally described hypotheses in textbooks that might present an outdated picture of arthropod phylogeny.