The only effect the A380 had was to trick Boeing into developing the 747-8, a major failure as a passenger plane, but doing fairly decently as a freighter. Boe

The only effect the A380 had was to trick Boeing into developing the 747-8, a major failure as a passenger plane, but doing fairly decently as a freighter. Boeing didn't have the cash to develop a clean ship 737 successor because of the issues with 787 production. Although the 787 has become (pre-COVID) quite a cash cow, in 2011 when Boeing decided to do the 737MAX instead of the NSA it was in a very poor shape: 20~30 billions USD hole, 3 years delayed, and no positive cash flow expected for years to come. The house was on fire, it was not the right time to commit to a new clean-sheet design, although it would probably have been the right decision (hindsight...).