Minolta was pioneer in bringing phase detection AF to the market. Leitz (Leica) developed that technology together with Minolta, and then the Leitz management decided that true photographers won't ever use AF. So they sold their patents to Minolta - and that was the beginning of the end of Leica as a pro photography supplier.
I believe it began much earlier, Leica's SLRs never had a real chance as a supplier to professionals. Especially Nikon F and F2 cameras, with their interchangeable viewfinders, their extremely wide range of lenses, including useful zooms, fisheyes, motor drives, film magazines etc... matched pro's needs much better than the Leicaflexes.
And then came the cooperation-born R3, nice, but technically behind most Japanese models, and later the unreliable R4.
Leitz had simply taken the SLR train too late, with little conviction and money.
Much earlier, Correfot could have become their chance to be ahead of competition again. Alas, the backwards thinking management, after having despised Japanese innovation, rejected their last chance.
PS: I had several Leica R winders and motor drives (made in Austria by Eumig). None lasted longer than a year or 2, and all my R cameras shed their brittle cheap plastic body parts very quickly.
But the APO lenses, still extraordinary on my EOS R 5II...
otherwise they are most assuredly d00med 
)
