I had one of the very first Flexes shipped, and the overall quality of that saddle compared to their previous builds was junk (major issue - seat material was fraying after just a few climbs, not just the rubber coating coming off - which was not whining by us owners, just a damn poor choice on their part to put out a product that literally falls apart in your hand each use).
They were industry leaders, much like K-Mart compared to Walmart back in the day, but lost what made them leaders. It's part of the business life cycle, and very few companies have what it takes to make it truly long-term. This is actually a good thing for consumers and means the competition has surpassed them and made them irrelevant, and we have better products to buy.
As to the contant love of the Kite, I get the nostalgic feelings, but I also loved my original Bear Whitetail with ll the metal cables and pulleys, but it lost its place in the woods pretty quickly. There is nothing the Kite offers that a Lonestar, and most others, doesn't beat now!