| I get what you're saying... but what's the available context of "No means No"? It's specifically a slogan about sexual assault. So when you modify that statement to "No doesn't necessarily mean No" you're making a play on words associated specifically with a PSA slogan about rape. It could be a casual coincidence I suppose, or you could add further context like in the examples you supplied, but on it's own there's really no other way to see it. Sure, while the underlying principle may hold true; be persistent, don't give up too easily, etc., there are plenty of different ways to convey that and specifically choosing this wording seems deliberate. I suppose it would come down to whether the statement was delivered as a joke in an attempt to get laughs or simply some folks found it funny. Based on the story seems more like the former. Either way seems like they eventually developed an approach to dealing with culture fit (or lack thereof): https://www.businessinsider.com/riot-games-pays-employees-25... |
"No means No!" is a common parenting phrase to teach kids when a parent says "no", they mean it. If you asked for an ice-cream, and I said no, then stop asking again!
I have no data on the origins on the phrase in English as such, but certainly the concept has been around even back to the 1st Century - with the Phrase "let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no, everything else comes from the evil one" back in Matthew's gospel (5:37).