YouTube CEO Chad Hurley marked the 5th birthday of the Internet video site today with an official statement at the YouTube blog:

When we registered the YouTube domain on February 14, 2005, we set out to create a place where anyone with a video camera and an Internet connection could share a story with the world. Five years into it, we’re as committed as ever to the core beliefs and principles that guided YouTube’s creation:

Video gives people a voice – From classrooms to war-torn countries, the Queen of England to the King of Pop, the Pope to the President of the United States, and the hillsides of Port au Prince to the streets of Tehran, video has the power to give rise to the most diverse set of faces and voices ever seen or heard in human history.

We succeed when our partners succeed – Our content partners run the gamut, from major Hollywood studios to aspiring filmmakers and vloggers who can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary on the turn of a dime. Content creation isn’t our business; it’s theirs. But breaking open access to media and distribution means delivering the world’s largest global audience and the revenue models they need to succeed, as well as the tools they need to control their content.

Video evolves fast, YouTube must evolve faster – The Internet evolves at break-neck speed. We launch products quickly and constantly iterate to stay one step ahead of it. Our goal? To set the standard in online video delivery. Fast loading, high quality videos need to be able to play on any device, anywhere, anytime. And whether we’re supporting 1080p, 3D, or deploying auto-speech recognition technology, we innovate with an eye toward providing the best possible experience for all of you.

While YouTube’s success is remarkable – what’s just as remarkable is how much about the site, and Internet video in general, is still up in the air:

• Will YouTube ever get its legal battles behind it?
• Will it become a sustainable business?
• Can it hold onto its dominant position as more full-length television content comes to the Web?
• Will there still be a place for indie content and viral hits from leftfield?

At the rate things are moving, it’s starting to look like it may not be YouTube that resolves these questions, but the next big thing.