"Gabe Newell (Valve’s CEO, founder and, if I’m not wrong, its only shareholder) keeps giving interviews where he states that “he doesn’t want to sell“. Many take him at face value. Well. Firstly, in M&A, when you don’t want to sell you just don’t. There’s no need to blab to the press about it."

Help me understand M&A, when you're asked by a reporter about selling your company, what can you say that will result in communicating to people that you don't want to sell your company?

I think the author is reading too much into things