In the 90's when the whole Very Large Aircraft project was just kicking off, I thought (as did many others) that the only sensible way ahead was for Boeing and Airbus to collaborate on it.
Failing that, they both agree what they will be building i.e. Airbus do the A380, Boeing do the 787 and there's no time or money wasted on the A350 or 747-X.
Ten years on, I'm still wondering why they didn't do it that way
