YouTube was around long before Google picked them up. I'm not convinced Google has had an entirely positive effect on YouTube either, nor am I convinced YouTube would have been less successful without Google. If anything, Google's cash simply facilitated a quicker growth for YouTube.
Between the terrible targeted, unrelated ad spam on YouTube and the forced integration of Google services on YouTube, I find myself getting insanely annoyed at them.
Forcing people to buy into Google+ to leave comments on YouTube was one of the biggest train wrecks Google has ever done. Yes, let's force people to use a failing social network in order to leave simple comments on YT! What could go wrong!?
Google has been buying cred for some time, imo. Vint Cerf being their number one hired mouthpiece.
