Everyone is weighing in with predictions on Google's future.  It's understandable, I guess.  Besides being a Wall Street darling, Google is one of, if not the, most recognizable internet properties.  And with their plans of world domination… err… I mean… indexing the world's knowledge, the influence and control the company exerts will most likely only grow.

One of the people chiming in on Google's past, present, and future is Bob Cringely, author of the best-selling book Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition and Still Can't Get a Date.  Cringely sat down with The Motley Fool and spoke about YouTube, Google's advertising future, search business, and their NASA partnership.  He offers some great insight into what might be going on behind closed doors at the Googleplex.  Maybe he has a pet fly on the wall… who knows.

Some highlights from his interview include:

• Cringely says Google had to either buy YouTube or get out of online video.  With only 10% of the market share, they would never catch YouTube's nearly 60%.  Instead of opting out, Google just bought YouTube.
• He also says that Google is all but required to venture into as many businesses as it can by the expectations put on it by Wall Street, not to mention the company's own stated goals.
• Cringely predicts Google will own 30-45% of the worldwide advertising business within in the next 5 years.
• He also says that Google isn't doing as well with search as it once did… and that it doesn't matter right now because they're still gaining market share.
• Finally, Cringely thinks that the Google-NASA partnership is just a technicality required for Google to build on property owned by NASA in the center of Silicon Valley.

Very interesting perspectives, if you ask me.  We'll have to see if Cringely's prediction about Google's advertising business holds true.  For that to happen, Audio Ads will have to take off, print ads will have to take off, and Google will have to get into television advertising.  Those are all avenues of exploration Google is currently toying with.  So maybe he's right.  Maybe in five years from now Google really will be a one-stop shop for all things advertising.