Soaring Construction Costs And The European Housing Crisis

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 12, 2025

Rising construction expenses and their subsequent impact on housing availability were the focal points during high-level discussions in Brussels. At the center of these talks was Stephanos Pierides, Secretary General of the Federation of Associations of Building Contractors (Oseok) and Head of Environmental Issues at the European Construction Industry Federation (Fiec), who highlighted the escalating financial pressures faced by the industry.

Industry Leaders Address Affordability Challenges

During his visit, Pierides engaged in separate meetings with Cypriot Members of the European Parliament, including Loukas Fourlas, Michalis Hatzipandelas, and Costas Mavrides. The discussions underscored how surging costs are straining the construction sector and exacerbating issues of housing affordability across Europe.

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Enhancing Strategic EU Collaboration

Pierides also met with Demetris Petrides, an Attaché at the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the EU, with a clear agenda to bolster cooperation leading up to Cyprus’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026. This dialogue is seen as instrumental in aligning national and EU-level policies that influence the future trajectory of the construction sector.

Commitment To Sustainability And Resilience

As Chairman of Fiec’s Subcommittee on Environment, Pierides actively contributed to discussions with Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jorgensen. Key topics included water adequacy and the pivotal role of the construction industry in supporting Europe’s transition towards greater resilience and sustainability.

The Road Ahead

Oseok’s involvement in Fiec not only reinforces Cyprus’s strategic stance but also ensures that national interests are effectively represented in shaping European policies. This active participation is crucial as the construction sector navigates growing challenges while steering towards a more sustainable future.

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Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 22, 2026

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

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A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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