The A-320 was a runaway success which threatened to shut Boeing out of that segment. Boeing needed to do something, and fast. Hence the 737-MAX as a stop-gap until they could come up with a better competitor.
Yes, the A-380 (different segment) did poorly. Boeing actually had a nice thing going for them with the 787.
> Boeing actually had a nice thing going for them with the 787.
Recently, maybe. But the 787 program had its fair share of major issues with the significant delays during development and then the battery fires that led to the fleet being grounded.
Boeing messed up the 737-MAX but I don't remember Airbus as a huge source of innovation recently.
But I'm no aviation buff, I'd be happy to learn more.