Airlines will give up capacity if they can get the range. Even 787’s have replaced 747’s on some routes.
The 777x has more range than the A380 according to the article and it’s still pretty good on capacity. The 777x is probably the last straw that broke the A380.
Airbus was a conglomeration of government sponsored companies(European) to compete with Boeing. Could not compete w/o taxpayer sponsorship. Just desserts.