Elon Musk warns Twitter deal stuck without fake account proof

Elon Musk has said his $44bn deal to buy Twitter may be in jeopardy due to a disagreement over the number of fake accounts on the social media platform.

Mr Musk tweeted that the deal “cannot move forward” unless Twitter backs up its claims that less than 5% of accounts are fake or spam accounts.

Twitter’s boss has hit back at claims that the figure may be inaccurate.

Analysts have speculated that Mr Musk may be looking for ways to renegotiate the price of the deal or walk away.

On Monday, Mr Musk said he could seek a lower price for Twitter.

He agreed the $44bn (£34.5bn) deal to buy Twitter with its board in April, but last week Mr Musk said the deal was “on hold” while he sought details about fake accounts.

On Tuesday, Mr Musk tweeted that his offer for the firm was based on Twitter’s disclosures to regulators about fake accounts “being accurate”.

Mr Musk said Twitter boss Parag Agrawal had “publicly refused to show proof” that fewer than 5% of its accounts were fake, and said the deal “cannot move forward” until Mr Agrawal does show proof.

Mr Musk’s tweet then appeared to be deleted.

The billionaire, who also runs carmaker Tesla, has put the number of fake accounts at 20% or more.