The one good thing about Google is that they force you to keep your site tight. I'm sure my site is better than it would have been without Google's influence.
On the other hand the idea that one company can exert so much influence is troubling, for Google does make mistakes from time to time, and those mistakes cost people money and even their livelihoods.
Google has removed the "this site may be hacked message," and my Edit1st.com website and the site is better as a result, so in this instance Google was a benefit.
But overall, collectively, I'm not convinced the benefits Google provides outweigh the negatives.
I doubt, it was someone close to me that hacked the site. No one other than myself manages my websites. Because WordPress is so popular (something like 70% of websites use their software) it is a target of hackers. If a vulnerability is found millions of websites can be compromised.