when I am supposed to fix tech debt? if every week there is another functionality going out that needs to be done yesterday? Do you think that I have to do it in my free time? Why should I even bother existing
You've just provides your personal assertion on a non-definition. Do you actually have an alternative definition that does not imply working lots of hours?
> I routinely come across developers who are the real deal: they’re conscientious and judicious in an unwavering way. They set a standard for themselves and do not compromise on it. Whether that’s a deliberate thing or whether they’re just built that way, it’s humbling to witness. If there’s a flaky test, they investigate it and fix it. If there’s a bug they spot in the wild, they make a ticket, and maybe even fix it then-and-there. If a new feature doesn’t gel well with the existing code, they refactor the code first rather than hacking the feature in. They’ll dive as far down the stack as necessary to get to the bottom of something. None of these things are necessary but great developers know that if they don’t address a problem early, and properly, it will only cost them more time in the long run. [... and more.]
This sounds like a great definition of not-lazy, and it does not mention long hours anywhere. My anecdotal experience is that I usually only have 20-35 not-lazy hours to give per week; any further hours per week are much less potent. Right now I'm working 24 hours per week and I think my employer is getting a great bargain: they don't have to pay me for hours that would likely be lazy.
Your definition of "not-lazy" by it's very nature relies on systematically working overtime.
Investigating and fixing flaky tests is either explicitly covered by a ticket, and thus a part of run-of-the-mill tasks, or something a developer does in unscheduled tasks by going above-and-beyond including in work hours.
Finding a bug, creating a ticket, and working on it is not proof of non-laziness as that's a part of the basic job description.
Refactoring a feature is either tracked by a ticket and covered in normal ticket-assignment processes, thus not a demonstration of lack of laziness, or it's something you do in your own time.
You have to clarify where you find the time to do all that "above-and-beyond" stuff because it's either normal work done on normal company time, which surely doing the normal/bare minimum is not proof of not being lazy, or it's going the extra mile, which is certainly not done during normal office hours.