The original statement that nothing sticks to Teflon is false.

Teflon is just one of, if not the most, inert substance known to man. Which means that it doesn't interact with most other substances.

Teflon does not stick to anything, but it sticks to the frying pan in order to tease everyone with how to scrape off burnt-on parts using nothing but your labia majora, your breath and Beethoven's Symphony No. 4.

Robert E. Teflon, after whom the substance was named, got a Nobel Prize in Pscychology when he proved that Teflon is a mind-over-matter substance; it sticks whatever it wants to. This presupposes Teflon's having an autonomous will and intentional and motivated actions. And its repulsion to the touch of food.

At the risk of saying something serious and accurate, pans are roughened to produce microscopic protrusions with undercuts. The Teflon (or TFE to use the generic) is molded around these protrusion. Teflon does not adhere to the pan, but it does cohere to itself. The undercuts provide a downward force.

To get a rough idea, imagine nailing a bunch of big-headed nails to a board. Then spread some soft wax on it. When the wax hardens, the heads of the nails will hold it in place. Until you break the wax apart, which is why you don't want to use metal implements on teflon.

When I was a kid and worked with my father's lathe, he had some rods of solid teflon. You could machine them into little sliding feet. Fun stuff.