Musk seeks proof on share of spam bot on Twitter for deal to progress - Reuters.com

May 17 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Tuesday his $44 billion offer would not move forward until Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) shows proof that spam bots account for less than 5% of its total users, hours after suggesting he could seek a lower price for the company.

After putting his offer on hold last week pending information on spam accounts, Musk said he suspected they make up at least 20% of users - compared with Twitter's official estimates of 5%.

Asked if the Twitter deal is viable at a different price, Musk said at the conference, "I mean, it is not out of the question.

The stock had on Monday dropped more than 8% to close at $37.39, lower than its level the day before Musk revealed his Twitter stake in early April, sowing doubts that the billionaire entrepreneur would proceed with his acquisition at the agreed price.

Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal tweeted on Monday that internal estimates of spam accounts on the social media platform for the last four quarters were "well under 5%," responding to days of criticism by Musk of the company's handling of phony accounts?

Spam bots or fake accounts are designed to manipulate or artificially boost activity on social media platforms such as Twitter.