We compare, following Pati, global symmetries, our topological supersymmetric preon model with the heterotic E 8 × E 8 string theory. We include Pati's supergravity based preon model in this work and compare the preon interactions of his model to ours. Based on preon-string symmetry comparison and preon phenomenological results, we conclude that the fundamental particles are likely preons rather than standard model particles.