Purpose Cloud computing, a dominant technology, significantly impacts organizations, necessitating talent management strategies for sustained growth. This study aims to explore the impact of cloud adoption on large French organizations through a “learning organization” perspective. Design/methodology/approach Interviews were conducted with business and IT stakeholders from 35 multinational organizations in France. Findings Cloud services have a high impact on large organizations, leading to a demand for cloud-related skills, a power shift from IT to business departments and increased shadow IT activities. Effective utilization requires organizational learning and a change management project, transforming organizations into productive and innovative learning organizations. Originality/value This paper contributes to cloud computing, organizational learning and talent management literature, offering managers a novel approach to handling cloud services.