This will probably not be a popular opinion, but I think that Google must eventually become public property. Once their search share approaches 100%, they will have a strangle hold on the flow of information. This is too much power for any profit-driven entity to have. Think of what you do when you have a question about basically anything? You go to Google. If the ethics of the engine become even slightly compromised it could be disastrous for society.

I'm not saying this is an issue now, but as corporations grow, they are constantly pressured to increase earnings. Over time, they morph into institutions that no longer resemble their origins. It's tough for us to imagine the Google we all know and love becoming a corrupt, blood sucking corporation, but what if they never discover a new Golden Goose? There will be extreme pressure to draw more profits from search in any way possible.

Of course there are tremendous issues with putting Google under government control. The government is quite possibly an even less trustworthy entity. But unless a major competitor emerges in the next decade, something big will happen on this front.